First period
- The crowd is pretty quiet once again. I think they’re just waiting to see what type of game this becomes.
- Montreal looks competitive through a couple of minutes.
- A nice shift from the top line, using their skill to create a couple of chances.
- Lane Hutson’s brain is getting ahead of his hands on his first few shifts. A few bobbles as he tries to play at the early pace of this game.
- There’s a big cheer as Andrei Markov was shown in the arena.
- Montreal makes perfect use of the in-zone drop-pass to break some of the tight coverage they’ve been receiving. Alex Newhook is able to walk in and get a great shot off to beat Logan Thompson.
- Another point for Hutson, his 18th.
- Jake Evans and Emil Heineman just about made it 2-0 with a quick net-front pass from behind the goal line.
- Kirby Dach gets his stick in Hendrix Lapierre’s feet while trying to defend on the boards and will give Washington a chance to tie things up. He has the footspeed to avoid getting caught in those situations.
- I think there are three people in the Bell Centre booing Pierre-Luc Dubois when he touches the puck.
- A very good penalty kill from Montreal, nice and aggressive.
- The top line is at it again. Newhook set up Caufield for one great chance, and then Caufield gets another moments later that he converts.
- Hutson and Caufield keep their assists vs. goals battle going.
- Hutson nearly had his goal, but settled for a setup for Patrik Laine that just about snuck through from distance.
- Another excellent first period for Montreal on this homestand. This one is the most impressive of the three considering the opponent.
Second period
- Dubois has the Capitals within a goal 34 seconds in.
- Arber Xhekaj just escaped a bit of neutral zone pressure by passing the puck off the boards back to himself. A smart play from The Sheriff.
- Despite the early goal, this is a much better second period than Montreal had been playing this week.
- Ivan Miroshnichenko hits the post from the top of the crease. The Capitals can still bite you even when you’re playing well.
- Patrik Laine just tried to go on a breakaway at the end of about a two-minute shift. Pretty good conditioning for a guy who hadn’t played in a year.
- The play is exclusively in Washington’s end in the middle part of the period. Montreal needs a goal to make it count.
- It ends with a power play, and that works well, too.
- No goal, but lots of threatening looks from both units.
- A couple of loose moments in he final minute, but another very good period for the Canadiens.
Third period
- The Capitals are determined to get a goal early again. They almost do as Connor McMichael tips a shot off the post.
- Jayden Struble banks the puck out and skates onto it for a breakaway. Thiompson has to make a critical stop.
- That might just force the Capitals to ease off the gas a bit, so it had a benefit even without resulting in a goal.
- Josh Anderson gets a breakaway of his own, but Thompson shuts that one down, too.
- Laine is such a smart player, just gliding to the place where the puck is going to be to make a play. I hope people don’t start to call him “lazy” for not just zooming all over the ice on his shifts.
- Kaiden Guhle slips and falls at the blue line, and that’s all the opening the Capitals need to tie to the game. Tom Wilson fights off Matheson’s stick check and knocks in a rebound. Such a slim margin of error for Montreal.
- Montreal can’t just hang back and hope to get this game to overtime now.
- Thompson stops another breakaway, this one from Suzuki. He’s put in his shootout workload already.
- Suzuki is very upset that he couldn’t convert.
- Gallagher gets a mini break. Stopped.
- David Savard gives the puck away from his goal line. A three-way passing play makes it 3-2 Capitals.
- Anderson stands at the blue line waiting for a zone entry. A Capitals player runs into him and Anderson is called for tripping. Was he supposed to dive out of the way?
- The Capitals calls a timeout to draw up a play.
- Washington scores on a power play they shouldn’t have had. Dylan Strome fires a puck off the post and in.
- Dubois drives to the net and draws a holding call on Hutson. Right back on the kill.
- Montreal gets a late power and pulls Montembeault, but this game will end 4-2 for the Capitals.
EOTP 3 Stars
3) Some rebuilds are neverending for a reason
2) He can finally start to rack up some points now!
1) They’re not as far away as their record in recent seasons suggests
