The Washington Capitals (7-2-0) continued their winning ways on Halloween night versus the Montreal Canadiens (4-6-1). With a 6-3 victory at Capital One Arena, Washington matched its best win total since 2015-16 through nine contests.
This game featured nine goals across both teams, but none of them were scored in the first period. Tom Wilson ended the scoreless stretch in the second—Alex Ovechkin and John Carlson assisted on his power-play tally.
The Canadiens’ red-hot Cole Caufield responded, notching his 10th goal of the season. Also on the power play, Montreal captain Nick Suzuki got the sole assist.
Brendan Gallagher got Montreal their first (and last) lead of the game less than a minute later. Lane Hutson and Christian Dvorak both notched helpers.
Striking for the Capitals was Brandon Duhaime, who scored his first goal as a member of the team. Taylor Raddysh and Trevor van Riemdsyk, both younger brothers to other NHLers (Darren Raddysh of the Tampa Bay Lightning and James van Riemsdyk of the Columbus Blue Jackets), got assists.
Washington had their own two goals in quick succession, with Jakub Vrana striking unassisted. Less than a minute after tying it, the Capitals took a 3-2 lead.
To end the second period off with a bang, Suzuki struck for the Canadiens. His 13th point of the season and second of the night, he’s on a hot streak. David Savard and Hutson got their fourth and seventh assists of the season.
Related: Canadiens Captain Nick Suzuki Is a No. 1 Centre in the NHL
The Capitals’ Connor McMichael gave his team the lead back with his fifth goal of the season. van Riemsdyk and Wilson both got on the score sheet for their second point of the contest.
The theme of back-to-back goals continued with Aliaksei Protas. He struck a mere 36 seconds after McMichael, assisted by Ovechkin and Dylan Strome.
In the second half of the final frame, captain Ovechkin notched the 858th goal of his career, needing 37 more to pass the all-time leading Wayne Gretzky. Making it three points on the night, he got help from Protas and Strome, with the latter now having double-digit assists for the season.
THREE GOALS IN TWO GAMES đź‘€ pic.twitter.com/waE47FufEn
— Washington Capitals (@Capitals) November 1, 2024
Between the pipes, the Capitals’ Charlie Lindgren didn’t face much rubber, but his 13 saves on 16 shots were enough to get the win. For the Canadiens, Cayden Primeau stopped 28 of 34.
Next up, the Capitals will stay on their home ice to face the Blue Jackets on Nov. 2. On the same date, the Canadiens will stay on the road to play the Pittsburgh Penguins.
