Nick Suzuki scored 3:45 into overtime to lift the Montreal Canadiens over the visiting Washington Capitals 3-2 on Friday night.
Cole Caufield scored in his fifth straight game for Montreal and assisted on Suzuki’s fifth game-winning goal of the season. Josh Anderson added a short-handed goal and rookie Jakub Dobes stopped 15 shots to help the Canadiens to their third straight win and sixth in their last seven contests.
Jakob Chychrun and Lars Eller scored for Washington, which surpassed the goal for the third consecutive game (1-0-2). Logan Thompson made 18 saves in relief of Charlie Lindgren, who exited after taking a hit to the head in a collision with Suzuki early in the second period.
Eller scored 1:54 into the third period to tie the game at 2-2. In the extra session, Suzuki and Caufield had a two-on-one split, and as a loose puck headed toward the crease, Suzuki fired it over Thompson for the game-winner.
Montreal finished with a 30-17 advantage in shots. It was just the third time this season – but the second straight contest – that the Capitals posted fewer than 20 shots in a game.
Cychrun opened the scoring on a power play less than three minutes into the game. Jake Evans tried to clear the puck off the sideboard, but it went straight to Chychrun at the blue line. He skated solo into the gap and beat Dobes for the unassisted score.
Montreal jumped ahead in the second half. Less than three minutes after Lindgren’s departure, Caufield equalized after finding open space near the left post and burying Juraj Slafkovsky’s diagonal pass as Thompson failed to slide in time.
Anderson gave the Habs the lead with 6:38 left in the second, getting a break after Rasmus Sandin fumbled the puck near the Montreal blue line.
The Capitas tied it early in the third thanks to another defensive error. Washington’s Ethen Frank, playing in his NHL debut, beat the Habs down the rink to prevent an icing call and stop Eller.
Lindgren was injured when Suzuki collided with him after being checked by the Capitals’ Brandon Duhaime. Washington pulled Lindgren over shortly after the collision and later ejected him with injuries to his body. Lindgren had stopped all nine shots he faced before going out.
–Field Level Media