Capitals get crushed by Canadiens to improve
The Washington Capitals bettered their draft odds by losing to the Montreal Canadiens 6-2.
Dylan Strome gave the Caps a 1-0 lead which they would take into the first intermission at 5:30 for his 20th goal of the season. Nick Jensen and Alex Ovechkin had the assists. The Habs led in shots 13-6.
Then the Canadiens poured it on in the second. Nick Suzuki tied it with a shorthanded goal. Joel Armia got another shorthanded goal for the Habs at 7:52. Brendan Gallagher made it 3-1 at 9:23. Joel Armia struck at 11:15.
The Habs led in shots 12-8 in the second period and 4-1 after two.
Nicklas Backstrom scored on the power play for his seventh goal of the season at 14:27. The assist came from Strome and John Carlson. Armia made it 5-2 at 16:58 and Mike Hoffman capped off the scoring at 19:42. The Caps led in shots 12-7 in the third period while the Habs led overall 32-26.
Strome’s 60 points is a career high. He had some strong words after the game, saying, “(That game) doesn’t reflect each of us; that was not our best game. We got to be a lot better than that. I don’t think it was anywhere near good enough.”
"“Obviously, it sucks not being in the playoff race anymore like we have been for the last four, five months when we’ve been trying to get out the wins and the points. When you’re on the ice, you’re focusing on your next shift and trying to make the right play and not letting the other stuff creep into your mind because if it does happen, it’s never gonna be good.”"
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The Caps host the Florida Panthers tomorrow night at 7 p.m. on NBC Sports Washington. There’s four games left. After Saturday they’ll host the New York Islanders, travel to the Boston Bruins and then host the New Jersey Devils to close out the season.