Washington Capitals break losing skid; top Canadiens

After a topsy turvy four games, the Washington Capitals found themselves on the wrong end of a four-game losing streak.  Entering Friday evening, Caps fans were hoping tonight would be the night Washington would break out of their funk and topple the Montreal Canadiens.  After a poor first two periods this didn’t appear to be the case, but a late goal and a shootout helped Washington break their losing skid, and finally get back into the win column.

Nov 29, 2013; Washington, DC, USA; Washington Capitals goalie Braden Holtby (70) makes a save on Montreal Canadiens center Alex Galchenyuk (27) during the overtime shootout at the Verizon Center. The Capitals won 3-2 in an overtime shootout. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports

Opening the scoring for the Canadiens was Daniel Briere, who’s sneaky wrap around goal put Washington in a 1-0 hole early.  Finally, in the second period, Washington and Eric Fehr got on the board with an easy put away after Montreal goalie Peter Budaj fumbled the puck behind the net.  Montreal, however, continued to dominate the pace of the game, and Tomas Pleknec gave the Canadiens a one goal edge on a fast break goal.

Into the third period the game went, and Washington struggled at times to force quality chances.  Braden Holtby consistently kept the Capitals in the game, and his hard work paid off, after Mikhail Grabovski knotted the score at 2 late in the period.  In the final minutes, neither team was able to wrestle the lead away from the other and eventually a shootout was needed to settle the score.

Holtby’s great play spilled over into the shootout, as Washington converted 3 of 4 shots and Holtby stopped 2 of the 4 shots to secure a Capitals victory.  Washington showed great poise in snapping their four game losing skid, and will look to continue their momentum tonight against the New York Islanders.