3-3-1
4-3-0
Alex Tuch took center stage in a wild nine-goal thriller in D.C., punishing Montreal's mistakes and delivering the dagger late in regulation. The Capitals forward turned the game on its head midway through the second period with a sensational unassisted shorthanded marker, answering Josh Anderson's second goal of the night for the Canadiens. After Washington defenseman Justin Holl broke a 3-3 deadlock with seven minutes left in the third period—set up by a crisp feed from Alex Ovechkin—Tuch struck again unassisted with under three minutes remaining to provide crucial insurance. Nick Suzuki pulled Montreal back within one on a power play with ninety-nine seconds on the clock, but Charlie Lindgren stood tall in the dying seconds against his former club. While Montreal showed plenty of offensive spark through Anderson and Lane Hutson, netminder Jakub Dobes had a rough outing, stopping just 18 of 23 shots. Washington climbs to third in the Metropolitan Division with the win, while the Canadiens head home seeking defensive stability.