NHL: Washington 4, Pittsburgh 3

WASHINGTON, May 4 (UPI) -- Alex Ovechkin had his first NHL career playoff hat trick Monday to lead Washington to a 4-3 win over Pittsburgh and a 2-0 lead in the Eastern semifinals.

David Steckel scored the other goal for the Capitals, who hadn't won the first two games of a playoff series since the 2003 Eastern quarterfinals against Tampa Bay.

Viktor Kozlov and Sergei Fedorov each had two assists and Washington goalkeeper Simeon Varlamov stopped 33 shots.

Sidney Crosby had a three-goal game for the Penguins, who were also down 0-2 in their 2008 Stanley Cup Finals with eventual champion Detroit. Pittsburgh goalie Marc-Andre Fleury allowed four goals on 33 shots.

The series moves to Pittsburgh for Game 3 Wednesday.