Alex Ovechkin applauds Carey Price after sensational save

Real recognizes real.

It was a battle of two NHL superstars Monday evening in Montreal.

Alex Ovechkin and Carey Price were duelling all night as the Habs and Capitals clashed at the Bell Center.

The Washington captain got two goals past Price and came very close to completing the hat trick. With the clock ticking down on the final seconds of regulation, Price made an incredible save on Ovechkin to prevent his game-winning hat trick and force overtime.

Here’s a look at the save-of-the-year candidate:

All Ovechkin could do after the save was applaud. The Russian forward started clapping and gave Price a pat of respect following his terrific save:

Price made the save with around two seconds remaining and got Montreal a single point. Lars Eller did bury the game-winner 3:34 into overtime, but that’s still something special from Price.

It was another big night for Ovechkin, who scored his 236th power-play goal to tie Mario Lemieux for seventh place on the NHL all-time list. Price made 29 saves on the night.

This is what makes the game of hockey so great. Two NHL superstars going at it and acknowledging each other in the process.