Braden Holtby denied Lars Eller and moments later the Capitals jumped on a turnover created by Nathan Beaulieu in his own zone. Tom Wilson gave the Capitals a 1-0 lead on the ensuing shot. The Habs would get a chance to level the score on the powerplay, but had all of their shots blocked by the Capitals’ penalty-kill unit (the Capitals had blocked eight shots within the first seven-and-a-half minutes of the game).
The Habs actually had a good first period, despite the 1-0 scoreline. The Canadiens finished the period with nearly three times as many shot attempts as the Capitals (30-12) but only hit the net on one-third of their attempts. The Capitals blocked 15 shots in the first period.
The Habs will want to keep up the same pressure tactics they employed in the first period, but need their shots to hit the net if they’re going to win this game. We will probably see an adjusted Capitals team to start the second period, as Barry Trotz likely blew a gasket in the intermission with his team giving away the puck a recorded 10 times in the first period.
Scoring Summary
| 1ST PERIOD | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 02:26 | WSH | Tom Wilson (2) Wrist shot – ASST: Brooks Laich (3) | 1 – 0 WSH | |
Penalty Summary
| 1ST PERIOD | ||
|---|---|---|
| 04:37 | WSH | Matt Niskanen Holding – 2 min against Lars Eller |
Shots
| PERIOD | WSH | MTL |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | 6 | 10 |
| Total | 6 | 10 |
Team Stats
| CATEGORY | WSH | MTL |
|---|---|---|
| Power Plays | 0/0 | 0/1 |
| Hits | 8 | 5 |
| Faceoff Wins | 5 | 10 |
| Giveaways | 10 | 4 |
| Takeaways | 1 | 4 |
| Blocked Shots | 15 | 4 |
| Penalty Minutes | 2 | 0 |
