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Ovechkin scores 10th, but Canadiens beat weak Capitals 5-2 – Winnipeg Free Press

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WASHINGTON (AP) — After falling into a deficit they couldn't come out of again, the Washington Capitals are in danger of digging themselves too deep a hole to keep their playoff hopes alive.

Charlie Lindgren allowed three goals on nine hits and the Capitals lost their fifth straight game to the Montreal Canadiens 5-2 on Tuesday night. The slide continued despite Alex Ovechkin scoring his 10th goal of the season and 832nd of his NHL career, surpassing Wayne Gretzky's record of 62.

“We didn't have the start we wanted,” Ovechkin said. “We make mistakes and it cost us.”

Montreal Canadiens center Nick Suzuki (14) in Washington, Tuesday, Feb. 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)
Montreal Canadiens center Nick Suzuki (14) in Washington, Tuesday, Feb. 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)

Nick Suzuki and Juraj Slafkovsky each scored twice, and Samuel Montembo stopped 36 of 38 shots to give the Canadiens a win in each team's first game of the NHL All-Star break.

“It wasn't perfect,” Montreal coach Martin St. Louis said. “I don't believe you're going to have a perfect game in this league, but you'll find a way.”

Astana managed to score three goals before Ovechkin scored in six minutes of the second period. For a long time they tilted the ice towards Montembo, but could not get away from it.

“Couldn't resist at all,” said Dylan Strome, who had two assists. “You can't play one period in this league, especially.”

Suzuki's two goals in a span of 57 seconds came early in the game, and when Michael Pezzetta scored at 13:07, it ended despite Lindgren's absence. The first goal came from a turnover, the second from a rebound off the right post, and the third after a teammate lost his edge and fell in the corner.

“Any chance we give up is old history,” coach Spencer Carbery said. “We make some big mistakes here, unfortunately, with different guys every night.”

It didn't help that the Capitals had three shots on net while the Canadians had three goals. Ovechkin's goal sparked Washington to a 16-5 shot advantage in the second period, but not another quick goal to put pressure on Montreal.

Montreal Canadiens left wing Juraj Slafkowski (20) celebrates his goal in front of Washington Capitals goaltender Darcy Kuemper (35) and right wing Nick Dowd (26) during the third period of an NHL hockey game, Tuesday, Feb. 6, 2024. Washington. The Canadians won 5-2. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)
Montreal Canadiens left wing Juraj Slafkowski (20) celebrates his goal in front of Washington Capitals goaltender Darcy Kuemper (35) and right wing Nick Dowd (26) during the third period of an NHL hockey game, Tuesday, Feb. 6, 2024. Washington. The Canadians won 5-2. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)

Instead, Slafkowski, the Canadiens' No. 1 overall pick in the 2022 draft, scored twice in the third period, setting up Capitals defenseman Rasmus Sandin's second goal of the season.

Kuemper allowed Slafkowski to score and made 15 saves in a bad-time loss for the Capitals, who have a killer streak going into the week ahead. Their next four opponents are Florida and Boston on the road, while Vancouver and Colorado at home are the top four teams in the league.

“It's not a great time to lose five in a row,” Strome said. “We need to win some. We need to get some wins together.”

On their longest losing streak of the season, they are missing a key player for this stretch. Yevgeny Kuznetsov entered the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program on Monday. He will be away from the team for an undetermined amount of time while he is recuperating and may return only after approval by program administrators.