Thompson dazzles as Capitals beat the Canadiens to take a 2-0 series lead

Connor McMichael and Dylan Strome scored a minute apart early in the second period, Logan Thompson made some spectacular stops among his 25 saves and the Washington Capitals beat the Montreal Canadiens 3-1 on Wednesday night to take a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven first-round series.

Thompson was at his best in the third, notably robbing Josh Anderson of what would have been the tying goal on a 2-on-0 breakaway with 10:59 left, then later getting his stick on a deflection by Christian Dvorak. Fans chanted “L-T! L-T!” and gave the goaltender a standing ovation in honor of his performance in just his second game back from injury.

“He shut the door when we needed it most,” Strome said. “He was unbelievable, especially in the last five minutes.”

Until that point, Thompson did not have much work to do as his teammates outshot Montreal 18-8 in the second when Washington tilted the ice toward Sam Montembeault. McMichael added his second of the game into an empty net with 1.1 seconds left.

McMichael and Strome scoring turned the tide in favor of the Capitals, who after an uneven start looked every bit like the top team in the Eastern Conference and one of the best in the NHL this season. They controlled the puck for long stretches and got to the middle of the ice in front of Montembeault easily and with little resistance from a smaller and less experienced opponent.

Still, Canadiens coach Martin St. Louis liked elements of his team’s game, including the play that led to Dvorak’s goal that opened the scoring and the pressure put on the Capitals.

“It’s can you maximize those touches, those scoring chances — they’ve done that better than we have so far,” St. Louis said. I believe in the group. I think both goalies were great tonight. It’s a fine line between winning and losing.”

Montembeault, like in Game 1, was arguably the Canadiens’ best player, turning aside 29 of the 31 shots he faced, including Anthony Beauvillier on a quality scoring chance in the first and Nic Dowd on a shorthanded odd-man rush in the second. Cracking him twice allowed Washington to take control of the series.

“It was a tight game, but, yeah, a huge win,” captain Alex Ovechkin said. “They play hard, we play hard. It’s the playoffs. All the small details gonna count.”

Game 3 is Friday night in Montreal, marking the return of playoff hockey with Bell Centre full of fans. The last time that happened was 2017 because the Habs’ 2021 run to the Stanley Cup Final came when pandemic restrictions limited capacity to a crowd of 3,500.

Fans react: Hope, frustration, and belief ahead of Game 3

CityNews spoke to Montreal fans after the game.

The Canadiens are now down 2-0 in their first-round series against Washington, and fans had a lot to say. While many were frustrated by the loss, they still believe in the team — and they’re hoping things turn around back home at the Bell Centre on Friday.

“They played good, you know. They tried their best,” said one fan, keeping it simple.

Another fan focused on the importance of the next game: “We performed, you know, second team in the league. So honestly, I think in Montreal we’re going to have a better chance. And yeah, that’s pretty much it. So we’ve got to show up too. If we don’t win next game, I think it’s over. We have to win next game. Let’s go. Go Habs go.”

Some fans talked about how young the Canadiens team is — and how that might be showing now in the playoffs.

“The youngest team to make the playoffs ever. I think that showed tonight, right? They out physical, they beat us up physically. We got to win Game 3. Game 3 is the hugest game of our season. Season’s on the line, we’re down 2-0, but we’re going to bring it back right here to Montreal at home where we got to win Game 3. It’s do or die. It’s do or die.”

Others praised how the team played, even in the loss.

“I think the Habs performance was exceptional. What a group of young kids. They just played wonderful tonight. I think we’re going to come back. We’ll come back.”

Some fans were frustrated by the physical play and the lack of penalty calls near the end:

“They started off well. And they just couldn’t, after the two goals, they couldn’t keep it going. They got scared. They need someone to bring in the hits. They sort of brought Xhekaj and I’m pretty sure because they keep getting hit. Cross-checks to the face on Caulfield in that last period — that was just like, where’s the calls? Refs put the whistles away with nine minutes left. What’s that?”

Still, he stayed hopeful: “I’m hoping that the energy when they come home will bring them back. But they just got to keep pushing. They’re just giving up too much ice. Too much in front of Montembeault — he’s alone in front of that net most of the game. One thing I noticed is no clean shot went in on either goalie. It was always a scramble in front of the net. So both goalies are amazing. This could go the distance if we can just get past Thompson a little bit more.”c

One girl put it simply: “That was fun but unfortunately we lost.”

Another group of fans talked about needing more toughness on the ice.

“We need Xhekaj on the ice,” said one girl.

“Big boys,” her friend added.

“Free Xhekaj. Free my boy Xhekaj.”

“That’s what the Montreal Canadiens need,” her friend continued. “Coming back to the Bell Centre with our fans, I think they’re going to bounce back. Exactly. Remember in 2021 they were losing 3-0 against the Leafs. And so I think they can always come back. So don’t lose your hope. Believe in your team. Believe in them.”