The Washington Capitals got some revenge on the Montreal Canadiens on Saturday night by downing the Habs 4-3 after losing to them a week and a half ago on home ice. The Capitals used a dominant third period to sneak in front of the Canadiens and got some clutch shot blocks at the end of regulation to seal the two points.
Make no mistake, the Canadiens are a team the Capitals should be beating considering the construction of the two rosters.
- After two periods, the Capitals and Canadiens were deadlocked at 11 high-danger chances each at five-on-five and the scoreboard was also tied 2-2. In the final frame at five-on-five, the Capitals out-attempted Montreal 23-16, out-scoring chanced them 10-4, and out-high danger chanced them 6-1. That’s the difference in the game and something the Capitals simply have not done enough this season.
- Sonny Milano returned from over two months out with an upper-body injury and scored his fifth goal of the season. Milano’s line with Max Pacioretty and Mike Sgarbossa was the team’s best on the night, posting positive differentials in shot attempts (+10), scoring chances (+2), and high-danger chances (+1). Pacioretty and Joel Edmundson, both former Canadiens, contributed the assist on Milano’s tally.
- No one keeps Aliaksei Protas without a goal for 30 straight games. Protas grabbed the game-winning marker after going 29 games without a goal, a streak that went back to his goal against the Dallas Stars on December 7. The goal was Protas’ first career game-winner in the NHL.
T.J. Oshie scores his 300th career goal to put the Capitals ahead 2-1. Since joining Washington ahead of the 2015-16 season, Oshie (190g) ranks second on the Capitals in goals, trailing only Alex Ovechkin (361g).
— CapitalsPR (@CapitalsPR) February 18, 2024
- Alex Ovechkin had his goal streak stopped at six games. Ovechkin certainly had a few chances to hit seven games but Jake Allen saved some of his best work of the night for The Great Eight. He did extend his point streak to eight games with an assist on TJ Oshie’s goal and has at least one point in 10 straight games against the Canadiens.
- John Carlson skated a game-high 29:07 of ice time in the win. He has skated more than that in just one other game that ended in regulation this season, the Capitals’ 4-2 victory over the New Jersey Devils in November (29:39). On the season he has played 29 or more minutes in a game seven total times.
- Another super game from Dylan Strome. He posted the great primary assist on Oshie’s goal to go along with nine shot attempts, eight individual scoring chances, and five individual high-danger chances. Dylan’s brother Matt also had a nice night in the AHL for the Hershey Bears, scoring the opening goal in Hershey’s 3-2 OT win over the Toronto Marlies.
Numbers thanks to Hockey-reference.com and NaturalStatTrick.com.
