Good players always find a way to get out of the game, and that’s exactly what Alex Ovechkin managed to do without finding the back of the net on Wednesday night against the Montreal Canadiens.
The all-star had three assists in the 6-3 win for the Washington Capitals, allowing him to join Guy Lafleur for 27th in NHL history with 1,353 career points.
Nic Dowd, John Carlson, Michael Sgarbossa, Evgeny Kuznetsov, Tom Wilson and Dmitry Orlov all blackened the scoresheet for the Capitals (12-3-5), who recorded a third straight victory.
Jake Evans, Cole Caufield and Artturi Lehkonen hit the target for the Canadian (5-14-2), who was trying – again – to sign a second straight victory for the first time in the campaign. In addition, it was already the ninth time this season that the Bleu-blanc-rouge conceded five or more goals to the opponent in a game.
After the meeting, head coach Dominique Ducharme did not mince words towards the effort made by his flock.
“Tonight, roughly speaking, we had a line that was performing well. In the situation we’re in, we’re a team that needs the 20 guys in uniform to have a good night. You can’t have the half that is good or correct, and the other half that doesn’t have a good game. We will never have success like that, ”he said after the meeting.
Jake Allen, back in net for the first time since suffering a concussion Nov. 13 against the Detroit Red Wings, looked rusty at times and ended his night of work with 28 saves.
His opposite, Ilya Samsonov, was true to himself by repelling 25 of the 28 shots directed at his cage.
Things started off badly for Ducharme’s men. There were not yet five minutes elapsed on the dial that the Habs were already pulling back.
Dowd opened the scoring at 3:34 of the first frame after easily passing Jeff Petry down the right flank, before rounding Allen’s net and speeding him up at the far post.
Carlson then doubled his lead at 9:43, then Sgarbossa widened the lead to 3-0 with just over five minutes to go in the period.
“After those two quick goals, it was a long time. We can’t wait to go back to the locker room, talk to each other, and return to the ice rink, pumped up. You have to be able to do it in the heat of the moment. It’s a couple of actions, a couple of games that can give us a certain rhythm, and that we can’t manage. You have to be better on that side, that’s for sure, ”noted Ducharme.
Small consolation, Evans took advantage of a turnaround from Carlson deep in his own territory to retrieve a loose puck in the slot and surprise Samsonov, with 1:14 remaining in the first period. It was then 3-1 in favor of the locals.
The two teams then traded one goal each in the second period.
After Kuznetsov’s net at 9:05, Caufield put an end to his offensive scarcity by hitting a puck on the fly just behind the red line of the Caps net, despite Samsonov’s intervention at the last minute.
The net was awarded after a video replay, confirming the No. 22’s first NHL goal since the infamous June 24 game against the Vegas Golden Knights.
Wilson, then Orlov, however nailed the coffin of the Habs by vibrating the ropes early in the third engagement. Lehkonen completed the scoring by beating Samsonov with a sharp breakaway shot, with 2:25 left in the game.
In the victory, the Caps lost the services of defender Justin Schultz, injured upper body.
The Canadian will continue his trip Friday night, visiting the Sabers in Buffalo.
Cloakroom echoes
Brendan Gallagher ended the game with an assist, but the result of the game left him with a bitter taste.
“We started this journey with good mental health. But we have been dominated. We cannot find excuses. We didn’t play well enough, and like I said before we deserved what happened to us. “
Jake Evans was happy to have found the back of the net, but was far from happy with his defensive play.
“Our line is built in such a way as to make life difficult for the opponent. And we haven’t been that often this season, let alone in the first period tonight, because we weren’t intense enough in our brawls for possession of the puck. I always want to contribute offensively, but when I’m on the ice for three goals for the other team, I’m not happy with my performance. “
Cole Caufield was happy to make the mark for the first time this season, despite the outcome of the meeting.
” It was good. It was good to get that first goal. I liked my performance tonight, but winning is way more important than my personal stats. But we’ll have to start winning more often. “