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North of the border shootout: Caps beat Canadiens 5-4

By Chris Cerullo

 2 Comments

November 19, 2018 10:32 pm

The Washington Capitals were in Montreal looking to closeout a four-game road swing with a winning record. You like goals? Well, I have the game for you.

Mike Reilly opened the scoring for the hometown Habs, but that lead was short-lived as goals by Brett Connolly and Alex Ovechkin put the Caps on top heading into the first intermission.

It went wild from there. The Habs got goals from Gallagher, Petry, and Agostino to give them a lead at the very start of the second. Nicklas Backstrom got one back later on and Ovechkin opened the third with a game tying strike from his office.

Lars Eller with that whole game winning goal thing he does a lot.

Caps beat Canadiens 5-4!

  • Some good and some bad in that heavily event laden first period. 43 shot attempts, 24 scoring chances, and 10 high danger chances for both teams combined. Caps matched the Habs in high danger chances, but were doubled up in shots on goal. Pheonix Copley, outside of the questionable goal against, was stellar.
  • Tom Wilson now has five points in four games since returning from his suspension and his assist on Alex Ovechkin‘s 14th goal of the season was an absolute beauty. In my opinion, Wilson has added a huge, noticeable jolt with just his presence alone in the lineup and him scoring at more than a point per game pace so far is just the cherry on top.
  • Who had money on Matt Niskanen being the Caps player to record two roughing minors in one play?
  • Hello, if you have cute animals doing Caps related things and I see it tweeted at the ole Twitter machine, you have a great chance of getting in the recap.

  • Second period, hoo-boy. Remember what I said about Copley being stellar in the first? He let three goals in within the first 1:35 of the second. Dmitry Orlov and John Carlson were on the ice for three of the four goals through forty minutes.
  • I don’t like how much Todd Reirden shuffles the lines and defensive pairs during games. I get that the team needs to get going, but it’s gonna be tough to find consistency in a season when the forwards and defenders are out with different folks every other shift. I think Ovi, Backy, and Willy need to stick together and then figure it out from there.
  • Here’s the most correct take you’ll see tonight:

  • I’m not a fan of Dmitry Orlov ever fighting and I’m not a fan of Max Domi throwing uppercuts to a player who is on his knees. I’m actually just not a fan of Max Domi. I also really hope Brendan Gallagher is growing whatever is on his face for Movember, because if he isn’t then he needs an honest mirror.
  • Braden Holtby came on in relief of Copley during the early stages of the second and looked brilliant behind a Caps defense that is still on pace to be worse than the true dredges of this league.
  • The third period was easily the best of the night for the Caps. They still looked slower than the Habs, but battened down the hatches pretty well in the defensive zone for the most part and got a strike from the Ovil Office.
  • Carey Price and Braden Holtby are not human.
  • Alex Ovechkin was a man possessed. Dude loves scoring in Canada.

Caps are back in DC for the first time in awhile against the Blackhawks. Braden Holtby will man the net from the start of that one and it’s Tom Wilson’s first home game of the season.

Full RMNB Coverage of Caps at Canadiens

Headline photo: NBC Sports Washington

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