Washington Capitals star Aleksandr Ovechkin has snatched his first goal of the NHL in a game against the Pittsburgh Penguins, which the two sides dedicated to the memory of the perished Lokomotiv Yaroslavl hockey team.

­The Russian redirected the puck into the net after Mike Green’s effort at the start of the third period to put the visitors 2-1 in the lead, with the refs needing to watch the replay to justify the goal.

The return to form follows Ovi’s failure to score in two of the opening games in the new NHL championship, which made it his worst-ever start to the regular season.  

The teams were level after three periods, and it was Mike Knuble who snatched a 3-2 victory for the Capitals in extra time.  
Ovechkin’s friend and countryman Evgeny Malkin collected two assists for the Penguins on the night.

The two teams appeared on the ice with Lokomotiv badges on their jerseys. After the game, the players signed the strip and it was put up for auction with the money raised to be sent to the families of their deceased colleagues from the Yaroslavl team.

In addition, the wives and girlfriends of the Penguins' players were selling special bracelets in memory of the Russian team before and during the game.

"It was a big tragedy in Russia and in sports," Ovechkin said before the match. "Everybody has to be responsible and help the families. We just want to support them however we can."

"It's important for me, for all of us. We're all one big hockey family and we need to help," Malkin added.

­The Lokomotiv tragedy occurred on September 7 just outside the city of Yaroslavl. A Yak-42 aircraft carrying the players, coaches and personnel of one of the KHL’s top squads crashed immediately after takeoff from the local airport.

Thirty-six team members were killed instantly, while the only player to survive the crash, Aleksandr Galimov, passed away later in hospital.  Seven others aboard the plane also perished.