Montréal Canadiens vs Washington Capitals — Recap

📰Game Recap

Montréal and Washington traded goals throughout a high-scoring first period before the Capitals pulled away in the third to secure a narrow victory. Josh Anderson opened the scoring for Montréal 4:29 into the game, but Jordan Kyrou quickly answered for Washington. Lane Hutson regained the lead for the Canadiens midway through the period, only for Ivan Miroshnichenko to tie it again for the Capitals with less than a minute remaining in the first.

The back-and-forth play continued into the second period. Alex Tuch gave Washington its first lead of the game at 6:16. However, Anderson found the net again for Montréal just over six minutes later, leveling the score at 3-3 heading into the final frame. The Canadiens outshot the Capitals 29-24 for the game, but Washington proved more efficient with its opportunities.

Washington took control in the third period. Justin Holl put the Capitals ahead with a goal at 12:29, assisted by Ilya Protas and Alex Ovechkin. Tuch then extended Washington's lead to 5-3 with his second goal of the night at 17:05, providing a crucial two-goal cushion. Nick Suzuki scored for Montréal with just over a minute and a half left, but the Canadiens could not complete the comeback. Charlie Lindgren made 25 saves on 29 shots for Washington, while Jakub Dobes stopped 19 of 24 shots for Montréal. SportsFBI's model had leaned Washington at 61%, a projection that proved correct. Washington now stands at 3-3-0, and Montréal is 3-2-1.