AfterEvgeny Kuznetsov scored the Capitals' biggest goal of the last 20 years, the arch-rival Penguins and ending Pittsburgh's bid to three-peat, a weight many times heavier than the Stanley Cup visibly lifted off the shoulders of Alex Ovechkin. The oft-malignedcaptain tilted his head back, raised his outstretched arms, and exhaled. Years of pent-up angstand frustration came pouring out as the Capitals mobbedKuznetsovand celebrated thee 2-1 overtime victory in Monday'sGame 6that punched their ticket to the Eastern Conference finals for the first time in Ovechkin's career. He had been 0-3in head-to-head postseason meetings withSidney Crosby since the superstars took overthe league in the early 2000s. This one, perhaps his last, best shot to get past that hurdleandtaste victory, was sweet. GOLDEN STANDARD Finally, you know? Its been too long," he said, grinning into a Sportsnet camera after the game."Finally we beat Pittsburgh and finally we move to the next round. We didnt go home, were not going to vacation, were still battling and its fun. Alex Ovechkin: Finally! HockeyKot (@hockeykot) Alex Ovechkin is going to the Eastern Conference Final for the first time in his career Ian Oland (@ianoland) Indeed, Ovechkin Dwight Gooden Jersey can put off thatannual return to Moscow,at least for a few more weeks. The Capitals-Penguins playoff rivalry had become known for its ferocity andlopsidedne s, but also because ofWashington's propensity to choke. Pittsburgh had been 9-1 in their playoff history when facing elimination against the Capitals. And that they finally delivered the dagger on an opponents' ice, saving D.C. from another nervousGame 7 trainwreck, will come to symbolize the accomplishment. Here are a few of the othereuphoric moments from Game 6 Capitalsfans won't soon forget. MORE: Kuznetsovtakes flight The Capitals' $7.8 million man proved his worth this season as Ovechkin'semerging co-star, and has become one of the more colorful personalities in the NHL. One of his goal celebrations, the walking bird, was retired in 2017, but he brought it backin Game 5 (at the request of his daughter). Now, it will live on in D.C. sports lore afterKuznetsovflapped his wings again upon scoring the overtime winner on a breakaway against Matt Murray,joiningCalle Johan son (1994) as the only Capitals players to score a playoff series-winning goal against the Penguins. Evgeny Kuznetsov did the bird walk celly after his OTGWG Ian Oland (@ianoland) #$@&%*! There was no shortage of expletives caught on video in the aftermath of the victory, from Ovechkin'scandid slip in his TV interview with Pierre McGuire toKuznetsov'sdescription of Nathan Walker. "Just fingplease score," when asked by McGuire what was going through his head asKuznetsovtook off on the fateful breakaway. Like its just emotions right now, you know? Its an emotional time for us, for our fans, for our organization, hecontinued. Pretty sure lots of expectations of nobody wants to believe in us this year. 'Nobody believed in us.' An emotional explains what this win means for the and the fans. NHL on NBC (@NHLonNBCSports) Kuznetsov, having built an endearing reputation for weavingpostgameexpletives throughspotty English, described the play of Nathan Walker, , as follows: "Nathan Walker, he played unbelievable, played like a little mother f," he said, ."That's the only one word I have for him." Kuznetsov is the best quote in hockey and I don't think it is close. Pierre: "How much relief is it you don't have to go home [for Game 7]" Kuz: "My wife is on vacation it doesn't matter if I am there" Neil Greenberg (@ngreenberg) 'Its almost embarra sing its taken this long' Like his players, Ted Leonsis, who's owned the Capitals since 1999, also is making his first trip to the conference finals. I have a lot of faith in the team, he said, . You could really sense, in the end of the season and how we played in the first round, there was a lot of grit and determination. We didnt panic at all. We did have our moment in the first period when we said, Do we have five rookies playing tonight? We thought our window had closed and we were an old team. Ted Leonsis: "Its almost embarra sing its taken this long for us to get past it." Adam Kilgore (@AdamKilgoreWP) This time, it was different On Tuesday, the Capitals captured the e sence of their evening withone goose-bump-inducing video showing Ovechkinand the team celebrate behind the scenes after the game. If nothing else, it's worth watching for Walker's kangaroo impre sion. This time it was different. Washington Capitals (@Capitals) Proud of the boys tonight! And to add to the excitement Id like to welcome back to the TJ Oshie (@TJOshie77) Steve Olin Jersey