The Montreal Canadiens' struggles deepened on Thursday night at the Bell Centre, suffering an emphatic 8-4 defeat to the Washington Capitals that extends their losing streak to five games. The loss marks Montreal's seventh defeat in their last eight outings, raising serious concerns about the team's direction.
Ovechkin Dominates and Montembeault Stumbles
The game began disastrously for the home side, with Alex Ovechkin scoring just one minute into the contest, only one second into a Washington power play. The nightmare start continued for Canadiens goaltender Samuel Montembeault, who was pulled from the game after allowing three goals on ten shots. His replacement, Jakub Dobes, fared little better, stopping 21 of 25 shots faced.
The legendary Ovechkin was the story of the night, completing a hat trick that included an empty-net goal. With the performance, the NHL's all-time leading scorer now has 42 of his 907 career goals against the Canadiens.
A Wild Second Period Sees Habs Fall Behind
The game unraveled for Montreal in a chaotic second period that saw six combined goals. The collapse began when Washington's Ethen Frank scored twice in a span of 1:38, prompting coach Martin St. Louis to pull Montembeault.
Montreal showed brief signs of life, with Brendan Gallagher ending his season-long, 29-game goalless drought to tie the game 1-1 in the first period. Joe Veleno also scored his first goal as a Canadien to pull the home side to within one goal at 3-2.
However, Washington's physical play proved decisive once again. Tom Wilson, a playoff tormentor from last spring, leveled Jake Evans with a heavy hit in the second period, forcing the forward from the game. The hit directly led to Jakob Chychrun's goal that made it 4-2 Capitals.
Though Nick Suzuki responded quickly to make it 4-3, defensive breakdowns allowed Sonny Milano to restore Washington's two-goal lead before the period ended.
Late Collapse Seals Canadiens' Fate
The third period offered fleeting hope when Mike Matheson scored on a one-timer from Cole Caufield to bring Montreal within one goal at 5-4.
But with less than four minutes remaining, a costly turnover by Lane Hutson led to an odd-man rush and Ovechkin's second goal of the game. The Capitals' captain would add an empty-net goal to complete his hat trick, with Milano adding another late marker to complete the 8-4 rout.
The decisive loss echoes Montreal's first-round playoff elimination to Washington last spring, serving as a stark reminder that the young Canadiens roster remains a work in progress compared to established contenders.
