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 in Game 2 to take a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven first-round series.
Canadiens Capitals Hockey Washington Capitals center Dylan Strome, front, skates with the puck past Montreal Canadiens right wing Josh Anderson, back, in the first period of Game 2 of a first-round NHL hockey playoff series Wednesday, April 23, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)
AP Photo/Nick Wass
Canadiens Capitals Hockey Washington Capitals goaltender Logan Thompson stops the puck in the third period of Game 1 of a first-round NHL hockey playoff series against the Montreal Canadiens, Monday, April 21, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)
AP Photo/Nick Wass
Canadiens Capitals Hockey Washington Capitals goaltender Logan Thompson stops the puck in the third period of Game 2 of a first-round NHL hockey playoff series against the Montreal Canadiens Wednesday, April 23, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)
AP Photo/Nick Wass
Canadiens Capitals Hockey
Canadiens Capitals Hockey Washington Capitals goaltender Logan Thompson (48) celebrates with center Connor McMichael (24) and others after Game 2 of a first-round NHL hockey playoff series against the Montreal Canadiens Wednesday, April 23, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)
AP Photo/Nick Wass
Canadiens Capitals Hockey Washington Capitals goaltender Logan Thompson deflects the puck in the third period of Game 1 of a first-round NHL hockey playoff series against the Montreal Canadiens, Monday, April 21, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)
AP Photo/Nick Wass
Canadiens Capitals Hockey Montreal Canadiens defenseman Mike Matheson (8) battles for the puck against Washington Capitals right wing Tom Wilson (43) in the second period of Game 2 of a first-round NHL hockey playoff series Wednesday, April 23, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)
AP Photo/Nick Wass
Canadiens Capitals Hockey Washington Capitals goaltender Logan Thompson, left, celebrates with defenseman Rasmus Sandin (38) after Game 2 of a first-round NHL hockey playoff series against the Montreal Canadiens Wednesday, April 23, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)
AP Photo/Nick Wass
Canadiens Capitals Hockey Washington Capitals goaltender Logan Thompson (48) stops the puck in the second period of Game 2 of a first-round NHL hockey playoff series against the Montreal Canadiens, Wednesday, April 23, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)
AP Photo/Nick Wass
Canadiens Capitals Hockey Washington Capitals center Connor McMichael (24) celebrates his empty-net goal in the third period of Game 2 of a first-round NHL hockey playoff series against the Montreal Canadiens Wednesday, April 23, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)
AP Photo/Nick Wass
Canadiens Capitals Hockey Washington Capitals goaltender Logan Thompson dives for the puck in the third period of Game 2 of a first-round NHL hockey playoff series against the Montreal Canadiens Wednesday, April 23, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)
AP Photo/Nick Wass
Canadiens Capitals Hockey Washington Capitals center Dylan Strome (17) celebrates his goal in the second period of Game 2 of a first-round NHL hockey playoff series against the Montreal Canadiens Wednesday, April 23, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)
AP Photo/Nick Wass
Canadiens Capitals Hockey Washington Capitals left wing Alex Ovechkin (8) shoots the puck in the first period of Game 2 of a first-round NHL hockey playoff series against the Montreal Canadiens Wednesday, April 23, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)
AP Photo/Nick Wass
Canadiens Capitals Hockey Montreal Canadiens defenseman Mike Matheson (8) battles for the puck against Washington Capitals right wing Tom Wilson (43) in the second period of Game 2 of a first-round NHL hockey playoff series Wednesday, April 23, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)
AP Photo/Nick Wass
Canadiens Capitals Hockey Washington Capitals defenseman John Carlson (74) shoots the puck in the first period of Game 2 of a first-round NHL hockey playoff series against the Montreal Canadiens Wednesday, April 23, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)
AP Photo/Nick Wass
Canadiens Capitals Hockey Washington Capitals left wing Anthony Beauvillier (72) reaches for the puck past Montreal Canadiens goaltender Sam Montembeault (35) in the first period of Game 2 of a first-round NHL hockey playoff series, Wednesday, April 23, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)
AP Photo/Nick Wass
Canadiens Capitals Hockey Washington Capitals center Nic Dowd (26) battles for the puck against Montreal Canadiens left wing Emil Heineman (51) and defenseman David Savard (58) in the first period of Game 2 of a first-round NHL hockey playoff series Wednesday, April 23, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)
AP Photo/Nick Wass
Canadiens Capitals Hockey Washington Capitals center Dylan Strome, front, skates with the puck past Montreal Canadiens right wing Josh Anderson, back, in the first period of Game 2 of a first-round NHL hockey playoff series Wednesday, April 23, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)
AP Photo/Nick Wass
Canadiens Capitals Hockey Montreal Canadiens center Christian Dvorak (28) scores a goal against Washington Capitals goaltender Logan Thompson (48) in the second period of Game 2 of a first-round NHL hockey playoff series Wednesday, April 23, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)
AP Photo/Nick Wass
Canadiens Capitals Hockey Washington Capitals goaltender Logan Thompson (48) stops the puck in the second period of Game 2 of a first-round NHL hockey playoff series against the Montreal Canadiens, Wednesday, April 23, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)
AP Photo/Nick Wass
Canadiens Capitals Hockey Washington Capitals center Connor McMichael (24) celebrates his goal in the second period of Game 2 of a first-round NHL hockey playoff series against the Montreal Canadiens Wednesday, April 23, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)
WASHINGTON (AP) — 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 in Game 2 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.
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 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.
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.
Up next
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.
