Washington has lost 10 of last 11 overtime or shootout games
Nicklas Backstrom rang the puck off one post and Alex Ovechkin followed moments later. That tells the story of the Capitals’ luck when their games go to extra time.
Montreal goalie Carey Price stopped all three Washington attempts in the shootout to help his team claim a come-from-behind 3-2 victory at Verizon Center on Tuesday night.
The Caps (27-15-10, 64 points) lost for the 10th time in 11 games that have extended past regulation – five during four-on-four play in overtime and another five in the shootout. But Tuesday’s loss was among the most disappointing of the season. Washington held a 2-0 lead after the first period, but allowed the Canadiens (28-18-5, 61 points) back into the game thanks to a pair of goals by Brian Gionta in the second period.
“We killed off six penalties and I thought we did a lot of real good things out there,” said Caps coach Bruce Boudreau. “They took it to us a little bit…But we battled when we had to battle and just lost in a shootout. I wish we could score a little bit more.”
| Caps notes |
| » The penalty kill was successful on all six chances against Montreal. Washington has now killed 24 opposition power plays in a row. |
| » Caps F Mathieu Perreault has scored the first goal of the game three times this season. That is tied for the team lead. |
| » Washington’s two first-period goals moved it out of last place in the NHL in that category. With 32 first-period goals it jumped the New York Islanders (31) and Edmonton (31). |
| Under first-year coach Jimbo Fisher, Florida State goes to the title game for the first time since winning the inaugural one 27-22 over Virginia Tech in 2005. Virginia Tech has won three ACC titles since joining the conference in 2004. The Hokies beat Boston College in the title game in 2007 and 2008. |
Washington has been troubled by slow starts all season. That wasn’t a problem on Tuesday. Mathieu Perreault scored the game’s first goal just 2 minutes, 29 seconds into it. He and linemates Brooks Laich and Jason Chimera controlled the puck inside the Caps’ offensive zone for almost a full minute. Montreal managed to clear the puck, but a bad line change let Perreault sneak back inside even after Laich and Chimera had already left the ice. Perreault beat Price (27 saves) with a shot through the legs for the 1-0 lead.
Just 5:20 later Washington scored a rare – at least this season – power-play goal. Mike Knuble passed the puck through the slot to Perreault. It eventually landed on the stick of defenseman Mike Green, who made some nifty moves to elude several Montreal players and then found Knuble all alone at Price’s left post for an easy tap-in goal. The last time the Caps managed a two-goal first period was Dec. 28.
But they again couldn’t stand prosperity. Montreal cut the lead to 2-1 on a goal by Gionta at 8:28. Gionta struck again late in the period after a mistake by rookie defenseman John Carlson. An ill-advised drop pass led to a turnover and a quick pass from Tomas Plekanec to Gionta, who scored again to tie the game at 2.
