The Canadian found good feelings upon his return to work.
Nick Suzuki scored twice in a 57-second span in the first period and also had an assist, Samuel Montembeault stopped 36 shots and the Montreal hockey club defeated the Washington Capitals 5-2 on Tuesday at Capital One Arena.
Both teams looked rusty at times as they returned to action following their bye week associated with hosting the NHL All-Star Game.
The Canadian took advantage of the Capitals’ generosity to take control of the match, before clinging to a three-goal lead.
Michael Pezzetta and Juraj Slafkovsky, twice, also scored for the Canadian (21-21-8). Mike Matheson had two assists.
Alex Ovechkin and Rasmus Sandin responded for the Capitals (22-19-7), while Dylan Strome had two assists. Charlie Lindgren allowed three goals on nine shots before giving way to Darcy Kuemper after 13:07 of play. Kuemper made 15 saves.
Quebecer Brandon Gignac played his first game with the Canadian, and his second career in the NHL. He replaced forward Sean Monahan, traded Friday to the Winnipeg Jets.
On the blue line, Jordan Harris was left out, while Arber Xhekaj was back in the lineup.
The Canadian will play his next two matches in the afternoon this weekend. It will host the Dallas Stars on Saturday, then host the St. Louis Blues on Sunday.
Ideal start
Suzuki struck for the first time 6:42 into the first period. He took advantage of a nice lifted pass from Cole Caufield to score with a one-timer at the end of a three-on-one attack.
On the sequence, Caufield collected a point in a 10th game in a row.
Suzuki came back at 7:39. Arber Xhekaj hit the post with a long throw. The puck then went to Suzuki, who threaded the needle despite the difficult angle.
Pezzetta then ended Lindgren’s night of work by beating him with 6:53 remaining in the first period. Rafaël Harvey-Pinard set the table with a pass from behind the net.
The second period was the affair of the Capitals, who had a 16-5 advantage in shots on goal.
Ovechkin finally got his team on the scoreboard after 6:03 of play. He scored his 10th goal of the season and his 832nd career, shooting into an open net after a pass from Strome.
Defenseman David Savard came to Montembeault’s rescue during a Capitals power play midway through the middle period. Max Pacioretty thought he had a gaping cage in front of him, but Savard blocked the former Habs captain’s shot.
Montembeault also allowed the Canadian to return to the locker room with a two-goal lead thanks to some good saves, notably against Nic Dowd and Martin Fehervary.
Slafkovsky pulled the lead to three goals with 8:41 remaining, with the teams playing four-on-four. Jake Evans drew two rivals, then joined the 19-year-old Slovak, who beat Kuemper with a high shot from the glove side.
However, the Capitals responded 22 seconds later. Sandin beat Montembeault with a powerful one-timer.
Sandin almost cut the lead to a single goal moments later. Montembeault stole a goal from Strome during a three-on-two attack, then frustrated the Swedish defender on the return.
Slafkovsky came back with 5:59 left in the third period, during a power play. This time, he beat Kuemper with a one-timer that was as powerful as it was precise.