The Washington Capitals are back on the ice at Bell Centre after a spicy Game 3 that saw fists fly between two opposing players on their own bench.
The Canadiens used the chaos and energy to their advantage, defeating the Capitals 6-3 and narrowing the first-seeded Caps’ series lead to 2-1. Montreal will need another huge effort like that to even the series.
The Capitals will return Logan Thompson in net after the goaltender got high-sticked in the helmet, took a shot off the side of the net, and run-over by Dylan Strome — the latter of which knocked him out of Game 3. Aliaksei Protas, who has been fully practicing, will remain out of the lineup, but appears eligible to return at any time.
Jakub Dobes will start in net for Sam Montembeault, who also left Game 3 with an injury. Habs enforcer Arber Xhekaj will remain in the lineup.
Puck drop for Game 4 is at 6:30 pm on Monumental Sports Network. Joe B and Alan May have the call. Craig Laughlin is missing the games in Montreal due to his health not being “100%.” Let’s go Caps!
Lines
Washington Capitals
Montreal Canadiens
Tunnel shenanigans
1st Period
Puck is dropped and it is just as loud as Game 3.
Brandon Duhaime loses his stick after a big hit at neutral ice.
Alex Alexeyev to the box at 2:47 for interfering Emil Heineman. Spencer Carbery is enraged by the softness of this call.
lol Locker.
Habs power play.
Caps kill power play.
There’s a girl screaming at Tom Wilson along the end boards as Kaiden Guhle cross-checks Tom trying to goad him into a penalty. Rough crowd.
Dylan Strome misses the net on a semi-breakaway.
Alex Ovechkin hits Carrier but nearly deposits himself completely into the Montreal bench. lol
Ivan Demidov skates up to Jakob Chychrun trying to goad him into a penalty – I’m noticing a theme here.
Only five shots on goal combined through the game’s first 10 minutes.
Kaiden Guhle to the box for interference at 11:35. Another strange call. The puck was basically there. Dobes tried to hand off to him after trying to freeze the puck, it got loose, and then he counter-hit Duhaime.
Caps power play.
Dobes robs Tom Wilson on a one-timer across the crease. Strome hit Tom with a perfect pass but Dobes pushed over to knock the puck away.
Tom Wilson takes a big hit (this actually was the Habs interfering him), which almost springs Josh Anderson on a breakaway shorthanded.
Habs kill the penalty.
Logan Thompson robs Nick Suzuki wide open at the far post. Some of these saves Logan is making are just hard to process. He remains on the top of his game.
Arber Xhekaj just decks Alex Alexeyev as he dumps and chases. That’s a textbook interference call at 16:28.
Caps power play.
Montreal is having one forward play behind the attacking player to try and prevent the slingshot which is fascinating.
Habs kill penalty.
Nic Dowd bleeding from the nose after taking a counter hit from Guhle. Guhle is laughing at him after he gets up.
At intermission: The game’s tied 0-0. The Capitals are outshooting the Habs 7-5. They’re also leading in 5v5 16 to 6 in shot attempts.
2nd Period
Puck is dropped.
🚨 1-0 Washington Capitals. WSH Goal: Dylan Strome (2). Assists: A. Beauvillier (4). Time: 01:25.
Beauvillier’s pressure around the net creates a loose puck for Dylan Strome who backhands it past Dobes.
Alex Ovechkin just being hugged in front of the net, apparently that is not a holding penalty.
Dvorak to the box for high-sticking PLD at 4:54.
Caps power play.
Wilson tripped by Joel Armia at 6:11. (Ehhhh, another iffy one.) Caps to a 2-man advantage for 44 seconds. Spencer Carbery takes a 30-second timeout to call a play and rest his big guns.
Carlson misses two wide-open put-ins at the far post. Now it’s back to a 5-on-4 power play.
Habs kill power play.
Standing ovation from Habs fans after they kill the 5-on-3 and then the 5-on-4.
Lane Hutson hauled down. No interference there. Oh, here’s one seconds later.
Nic Dowd to the box for interfering Nick Suzuki at 9:16.
Habs power play.
🚨 1-1 tie. MTL PPG: Juraj Slafkovský (2). Assists: I. Demidov (1), L. Hutson (4). Time: 10:33.
Demidov dekes, goes behind the net, and hits Slafkovsky on the other side of the net for a one-timer. Insane skill this kid has.
McMichael, wide open in front of the net and surrounded by Habs defenders, nearly scores on his backhand.
Alex Alexeyev breaks up a 3-on-1 break for the Habs. Huge play there by the young Russian.
Josh Anderson to the box for roughing Tom Wilson at 16:05.
Caps power play.
Dobes robs McMichael wide open at the post after a shot goes off the backboard right to him.
Alex Ovechkin drills Jake Evans (imo incidental contact), but it’s a penalty at 18:02 and he negates the final 3 seconds of their power play.
Habs power play.
🚨 2-1 Montreal Canadiens. MTL PPG: Cole Caufield (3). Assists: L. Hutson (5), I. Demidov (2). Time: 18:32.
Caufield scores on a one-timer from the Ovi spot.
At intermission: The Habs lead 2-1. They scored on 2 of their 4 shots in the period lol. Caps lead in shots 16 to 9 total and are out-attempting the Habs at five-on-five 32 to 20.
3rd Period
Puck is dropped.
John Carlson to the box for slashing the stick out of the hands of Dvorak at 0:37. Chychrun and Dvorak get into it afterward for roughing. Tom Wilson tackled a Habs player to the ice afterward and somehow avoided a penalty.
Habs power play.
Big save by Thompson on a Suzuki one timer.
TOM WILSON WITH A HUGE HIT ON CARRIER.
🚨 2-2 tie. WSH Goal: Brandon Duhaime (1). Assists: J. Chychrun (1), T. van Riemsdyk (1). Time: 06:39.
The Wilson hit causes a line change for the Habs and the Caps score on the way back.
Beauvillier crushed by Guhle.
🚨 3-2 Washington Capitals. WSH Goal: Andrew Mangiapane (1). Assists: D. Strome (5), T. van Riemsdyk (2). Time: 16:23.
Mange looks off Ovi and fires and scores. What a shot! Caps take the lead! It is super quiet in Bell Centre.
Dobes robs PLD in front of the net, WHOA. That’s a huge save to keep the Habs within one.
Dobes pulled with 2:47 remaining.
🚨 4-2 Washington Capitals. WSH ENG: Brandon Duhaime (2). Assists: N. Dowd (1). Time: 17:21.
Duhaime had one playoff goal in 26 games. He has two tonight.
🚨 5-2 Washington Capitals. WSH ENG: Tom Wilson (2). Assists: C. McMichael (1). Time: 19:05.
Caps win Game 4 5-2 after scoring FOUR times in the third period. They can close the series out on Wednesday.
The Capitals outshot the Canadiens 26 to 18 and out-attempted them 43 to 36 at five-on-five.
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