The Montreal Canadiens recorded only nine shots on goal in the first two periods of play Sunday, but were just 20 minutes from evening their best-of-7 first-round playoff series against the Washington Capitals at two games apiece.
Instead, a ferocious third period comeback by the Capitals put the upstart Canadiens on the brink of playoff elimination.
The Capitals scored four goals in the third, sending the raucous Bell Centre crowd to the exits early. Brandon Duhaime scored the equalizer at 6:39, then added the first of two empty netters at 17:21 to lead Washington to a 5-2 win in Game 4.
With veteran Sam Montembeault unable to play because of a lower-body injury, Montreal turned to rookie goalie Jakub Dobes to make this crucial start. And the 23-year-old responded in his first career playoff start, stopping 16 of 17 shots through two periods as the Canadiens grabbed a 2-1 lead.
Washington got one past him early in the second period at 1:25 for the game's first goal. Dobes failed to control an awkward shot from Anthony Beauvillier . The puck kicked off his pads, and Dylan Strome swooped in and scored.
The Capitals had a chance to run away with the game soon after; Montreal took back-to-back penalties, leaving Washington with 43 seconds of a 5-ono3 advantage. The Capitals failed to extend the lead, and the Bell Centre erupted following the inspiring penalty kill.
Montreal rode the momentum – Juraj Slafkovsky scored on an incredible assist by rookie Ivan Demidov at 10:33 during their own power play. The Canadiens scored again on the power play before the period ended, a missile of a slap shot from Cole Caufield at 18:32.
The Capitals tied it on a goal similar to their first. A scrum in front of Dobes resulted in the puck somehow bouncing behind him at 6:39 in the third period. Tom Wilson helped set the goal with a vicious hit on Alexandre Carrier .
Andrew Mangiapane gave Washington the lead at 16:23, inching the Capitals to the verge of a comfortable 3-1 series lead, then two empty net goals soon after put the finishing touches on Washington's Game 4 win.
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Credit: David Kirouac-Imagn Images
Each starting goalie left Game 3 early due to injury Friday night; Montembeault exited in the second period, then Washington's Logan Thompson was helped off the ice in the third period during Montreal's 6-3 win. There was much speculation that neither would be able to play Sunday in the crucial Game 4. However, only Montembeault missed it. He watched from the press box, with Dobes starting and Cayden Primeau dressing as the backup.
Thompson led the Capitals on to the ice and played the entire game. Charlie Lindgren , who finished off Game 3, was back on the bench.
Dobes stole the show for much of Sunday, making several highlight-reel saves, including a smooth glove save on a Capitals power play.
The Capitals defense did their job in front of their banged-up goalie, who only faced 18 shots. He saved 16 of them, including all nine in the third period, and the Capitals are now one win from reaching the second round of the playoffs for the first time since 2018, when they won the Stanley Cup.
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Though Washington ultimately walked away with a 5-2 win, the Capitals were outclassed on special teams. The Canadiens scored both of their goals on the power play, converting on half of their man-up chances. They were even better on the penalty kill; Montreal held Washington scoreless on five power-play chances, including that two-man advantage.
Just as important, Montreal used its PK success to sway momentum in its favor on multiple occasions. The Canadiens scored their first goal after their massive kill of that 5-on-3, igniting the home crowd.
Montreal got their second goal the same way; Alexander Ovechkin committed an interference penalty in the waning seconds of a Washington power play. Thirty seconds later, Caufield netted the go-ahead goal.
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After Montreal's electric final 10 minutes of the second period, it looked as if the Canadiens would hold serve on home ice and knot the series at two. The pressure was on the visitors, and Washington came through in the final frame.
The penalty-kill unit for Washington stepped up when it mattered most, keeping Montreal off the board during a power play early in the third period. Five minutes later at 6:39, Duhaime tied the score at two apiece. Mangiapane then broke some hearts by giving the Capitals the lead.
The Capitals dominated the regular season en-route to finishing with the best record in the Eastern Conference, but the Canadiens undoubtedly had them on the ropes Sunday. A loss would have really put the Capitals in danger, turning their series against the second wild card into a best-of-three. Instead, they're heading home with a commanding 3-1 series lead, where they are 28-9-6 including the playoffs at Capital One Arena this season.
