Canadiens vs. Capitals Top Six Minutes: The slump goes on

First period

• The game isn’t off to the greatest start as Juraj Slafkovský was called for an errant high stick in the neutral zone. At least it’s only two minutes.
• Or two seconds, as the case actually was. Alexander Ovechkin fires a shot off a faceoff win and opens the scoring.
• Nick Suzuki gets laid out as he tries to get back on defence with the puck nowhere close to him. Neither official calls it.
• About 10 seconds later, Mike Matheson is called for tripping.
• Montreal survives the full two minutes of Matheson’s penalty. Perhaps they can use that to build some momentum.
• Ivan Demidov gets hooked as he dances among four Capitals defenders and has single-handedly created a chance to tie the game.
• Tom Wilson goes down heavily after trying to get to a loose puck in a footrace with Cole Caufield. Either Caufield added some spinach to his Wheaties this morning, or Wilson is flopping like he did in the playoff series.
• Whatever is ailing Suzuki, it seems to be affecting his puck-handling the most. Simply moving the puck around the zone is a chore.
• Montreal didn’t get set up a single time on the power play, making Washington’s 28th-ranked penalty kill look like the league’s best.
• Zachary Bolduc takes a high stick at the goal line in the offensive zone. Montreal gets a couple of good chances with Samuel Montembeault on the bench, included a completely open look from Suzuki to Bolduc at the top of the crease as the Capitals vacate the most important part of the ice.
• Hopefully they can get over the blue line this time.
• Caufield waits a second too long to shoot from his office, allowing John Carlson to deflect the puck out of play.
• No overpassing from the top unit, which is an encouraging start. About four attempts in just 55 seconds.
• Brendan Gallagher thinks he’s tied the game, but the ref says no. We’ll have to see the replay.

Uh, that’s a goal

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— Scott Matla (@scottmatla.bsky.social) November 20, 2025 at 8:41 PM

• The replay shows it’s very close, but the call on the ice is probably going to stand.
• Well, I’m surprised that they actually called that a goal. It’s Gallagher’s first of the season.
• Demidov adds an assist, so he’s productive despite the demotion.
• Matheson has his stick snapped by Ethen Frank, and Washington’s power play will end early. Montreal is doing well on the PK once the opening faceoff is dealt with.
• Another high stick ends the period, so Washington will begin the second on a power play.
• Montreal outshot the Capitals 12-6 in that period. Just the penalties and the lightning-quick power-play goal against that stand as the negatives.

Second period

• Montreal kills off the four-on-three well. Seconds after it ends and Josh Anderson and Ovechkin are released, Montembeault is beat over the glove by Frank.
• Moments later it’s 3-1 on a harmless shot from Frank that goes right through Montembeault. It’s a fifth consecutive game allowing at least two goals in the second period, and we haven’t played four minutes.
• Martin St-Louis quickly pulls the plug and gets Jakub Dobeš in the net.
• The Habs come out angry after the latest goal. Probably because they don’t feel they deserve to be trailing given how they’ve played.
• Joe Veleno is stymied at the side of the net.
• Joe Veleno isn’t stymied when the puck comes to him at the right faceoff dot on his next shift. He makes it 3-2.

JOE VELENO SCORED A GOAL!

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— Scott Matla (@scottmatla.bsky.social) November 20, 2025 at 9:27 PM

• It feels like the tying goal will be coming at some point soon. Montreal is on a mission, and the Capitals will be tiring quickly after playing a lot of hockey recently.
• Veleno makes a very loud shot block off the outside of his foot and drops to the ice, but he gets up immediately and launches the attack, earning a nice ovation.
• Washington is barely touching the puck now.
• A moment of indecision by Noah Dobson on how to play the puck in his zone gives Washington its first zone time since the goal. Wilson lands a flying elbow on Jake Evans. Jakob Chychrun makes it 4-2.
• Montreal keeps fighting back. With Evans in the room probably going through concussion protocol, Suzuki collects the puck off a shot block and fires it in to make it a one-goal game again.

Lane Hutson creates the chance and Nick Suzuki buries the Carrier rebound

Silly game at the Bell Centre

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— Scott Matla (@scottmatla.bsky.social) November 20, 2025 at 9:44 PM

• The fourth line replies with a bruising shift to keep the Capitals in their own zone. Jared Davidson tips the puck just wide from his place in the slot.
• Evans returns, just a little bloodied.
• Alexandre Carrier loses his footing trying to defend one-on-one, and unfortunately that allows Sonny Milano to get a shot from close range. It’s 5-3.
• This is must be how Connor McDavid feels.
• Montreal played that period pretty well after the 3-1 goal, but they were deflated by the latest two.

Third period

• No Evans to begin the third. The concussion symptoms may have arrived during the intermission.
• Washington goes for the killing blow in the opening minutes, but Montreal survives that push.
• Some life is breathed into the crowd by Matheson with a well-placed shot through the Capitals’ own screen with five minutes played.

It’s a Magic Mike Night, Matheson gets the Habs within a goal!

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— Scott Matla (@scottmatla.bsky.social) November 20, 2025 at 10:18 PM

• Lindgren makes a spectacular lunging save to deny Juraj Slafkovský seconds after the puck is dropped.
• Hutson made an incredible deke to get the puck through his man and in for a point-blank shot, but fans on the release.
• The Capitals ramped up for another intense shift and almost made it count with a puck that almost squeaked over the goal line.
• A long fourth-line shift threatens to end in disaster when Hutson falls inside the blue line. The Capitals gets a three-on-one from it, but can’t decide how to set up a play and don’t even get a shot.
• Justin Sourdif just prevented Jayden Struble from scoring with Lindgren completely out of the play.
• Another turnover off Hutson’s stick leads to another three-on-one, and the Capitals don’t make the same mistake twice. Ovechkin makes it 6-4.
• Ovechkin hits the empty net and completes the hat trick. That will be back-to-back 7-4 wins for Washington in a 27-hour span.
• I was wrong. 8-4.
• I guess we’ll see how everyone responds on Saturday versus the Maple Leafs, who are now just two points back in the standings.

EOTP 3 Stars

3) Unfortunately, the goaltenders held down the shift key for them

2) They have to try anything at this point

1) At least it was a good night for one player