The Washington Capitals (26-14-7) returned to Capital One Arena to begin a three-game homestand. They rallied down two goals to beat the Montreal Canadiens (24-17-6) 3-2 in OT on Tuesday night.
The Capitals got off to a rough start as they couldn’t get anything going in the first two periods. One major factor was the team missing key players due to injuries.
Montreal managed to score in each of the first two periods, including a shorthanded goal in the opening period.
However, the third period was a much different story as Ethen Frank scored twice. His tally in the final two minutes of regulation tied it and sent the game to OT.
With under a minute left in the 3-on-3 overtime period, Connor McMichael scored the game-winning goal to complete the comeback.
Next up, the Capitals continue their homestand with an interconference matchup against San Jose on Thursday.
Capitals Analysis
Injuries and illnesses have been a major factor why the Capitals have had their ups and downs this season. Tom Wilson missed his fifth straight game, and Justin Sourdif and Jakob Chychrun were also ruled out.
Sourdif suffered an upper-body injury the previous game and is considered day-to-day, while Chychrun is dealing with an illness.
The Capitals went on the power play in the first period hoping for some sort of spark. Unfortunately, they surrendered a shorthanded goal from Montreal’s Josh Anderson, the second in Washington’s last four games.
The Capitals have now given up six shorthanded goals this season, which is the second-most in the NHL.
Washington struggled on the man advantage all night, as they whiffed on all five of their opportunities. The Capitals now have the fourth-worst power play in the league, operating at just 15.4 percent.
However, the third period changed for the Capitals who were trailing 2-0. The team generated more offense and managed to outshoot Montreal 16-5.
Frank was moved to the top line to work alongside Alex Ovechkin and Dylan Strome. He scored his first goal when he got to the front of the net and tipped Matt Roy’s shot past Sam Montembeault.
Then, with the goalie pulled and under two minutes left in regulation, Frank redirected Rasmus Sandin’s drive to force OT.
After another failed power-play opportunity for the Capitals, the game remained tied with under a minute left in the extra period. However, with 37.6 seconds left, McMichael got a lucky bounce in front and scored to win the game.
Capitals Report Card
Team: B
The first two periods were rough, but the third clearly made up for it as the Capitals looked like a much different team. The OT period was just the icing on the cake.
Ethen Frank: A
Frank came through with two goals in the third to tie the game up. He now has 10 goals this season.
Connor McMichael: A
McMichael was the hero as he recorded the game-winner in overtime. He has seven tallies on the year.
Rasmus Sandin: A
Sandin managed to be involved on each of the Capitals’ goals as he recorded three assists on Tuesday.
Capitals Special Teams: C+
The Capitals went 0-for-5 on the struggling power play and gave up a shorthanded goal. However, they managed to succeed on all four penalty kills on the evening.
Hendrix Lapierre: D
Lapierre finished with just 6:27 of ice time, as the team could trade him or send him down to AHL Hershey.
