English
EspañolMONTREAL — Cole Caufield scored a pair of first-period goals to help propel the Montreal Canadiens to a 6-2 win over the Washington Capitals on Saturday night at the Bell Centre.
Caufield has a team-high 35 goals on the season, 15 of which have been scored on a Saturday night. The second of Caufield’s two goals also held up as the game-winner, his ninth such goal this season.
Mike Matheson and Kirby Dach scored goals in the second period for Montreal (33-17-9), which has recorded at least a point in seven consecutive games (5-0-2).
Canadiens captain Nick Suzuki and Jake Evans added empty-net goals in the third. Suzuki also had two assists in the winning effort.
Jakub Dobes made 27 saves as he improved his record to 9-0-2 over his last 11 games. The rookie goaltender has not lost a game in regulation since a 6-1 defeat to the Tampa Bay Lightning on Dec. 9.
Alex Ovechkin scored twice for the Capitals (31-24-7), who had their three-game win streak snapped.
The Capitals captain has scored 44 goals and recorded 76 points in just 63 career matchups against the Canadiens. The goals also allowed the NHL’s all-time leading goal scorer to run his point streak at the Bell Centre to eight games, a streak dating back to November 2018.
Charlie Lindgren stopped 19 shots in his first start since Jan. 29 for the Capitals. The Lakeville, Minn., native, who began his career with the Canadiens, has given up at least three goals in each of his last nine appearances in goal.
TAKEAWAYS
Capitals: Washington’s ongoing struggles on the power play were evident again. The team failed to capitalize on each of its four opportunities while up a man. The Capitals entered play Saturday 31st overall in the NHL in power-play efficiency.
Canadiens: The Bell Centre remains a tough stop for visiting teams as Montreal improved to 10-3-1 in its last 14 home games.
KEY MOMENT
It took all of 30 seconds for the Canadiens to find the back of the net, marking the fastest game-opening goal scored by Montreal this season. Jakob Chychrun’s point shot was blocked by Caufield, resulting in a breakaway for the forward. His snap shot beat Lindgren to the glove side.
KEY STAT
Caufield’s goals were his 20th and 21st go-ahead tallies of the season, moving him past Guy Lafleur (20 in 1977-78) for the most in a single season in franchise history. He also leads the NHL in that department this year, sitting seven ahead of both Vegas’s Jack Eichel and Boston’s Morgan Geekie.
UP NEXT
Capitals: Host the Utah Mammoth on Tuesday.
Canadiens: Visit the San Jose Sharks on Tuesday.