“The greatest goal scorer in history” “Must be cheating”: NHL fans react as Capitals score 5 goals in first period

The Washington Capitals had themselves a ball on Saturday against the visiting Columbus Blue Jackets at Capital One Arena in Washington DC. The Caps scored five first-period goals en route to a 7-2 win.

And thanks to the offensive onslaught, there were plenty of reactions pouring in on social media from fans who couldn't believe what they were witnessing.

Alex Ovechkin got one of the goals, and fans were quick to praise him.

"The greatest goal scorer in history gets one closer to his record!" one fan wrote, referencing Ovi's quest to break Wayne Gretzky's all-time goals record.

"Ovechkin with a classic OVI CLAP BOMB goal!" another wrote.

One fan thought there was only one explanation for the Caps' five-goal barrage:

"They must be cheating," one fan said.

Another wondered whether the Blue Jackets would show up.

"Are the Blue jackets going to play defense tonight?" another fan said.

Meanwhile, a couple of fans were delighted by the result.

"Admin, I just got home to turn the game on. I was not prepared! Love to see it!" exclaimed @madams1225.

"That was fun! Goals! Lots of goals! Still 40 minutes left though... stay focused this period as well," wrote @sports_god1.

It was nothing short of domination for the Capitals in the first period, and the fans were clearly loving it.

The Capitals were firmly in control of the Blue Jackets

Five different Capitals players found the scoresheet, as the scoring was started less than a minute after the opening face-off by Aliaksei Protas, his fourth goal of the season. Connor McMichael. Soon afterward, Connor McMichael scored his sixth goal of the season, giving the Capitals a two-goal lead.

And the barrage didn't stop there. Just under six minutes later, Andrew Mangiapane added his third goal, while future Hall of Famer Alex Ovechkin notched his sixth goal, moving him even closer to Wayne Gretzky's all-time mark of 892 career goals, the most in NHL history.

Twenty-four seconds later, Nic Dowd made it a 5-0 lead for Washington with his fourth goal of the year. The first period ended with Washington enjoying their five-goal advantage.

While Columbus managed to find the back of the net with Damon Severson's third goal, Washington restored their five-goal lead thanks to McMichael's second of the game and seventh of the season.

Thanks to the barrage, there were only five Capitals players who had yet to register a point by the midway portion of the second period.

It's been an impressive start to the year for the Caps, who were not picked by many analysts and pundits to qualify for the playoffs. However, they have many reconsidering thanks to their 8-2 start to the year.