WASHINGTON — Brendan Gallagher scored the winning goal in a shootout to give the Canadiens a 2-1 victory over the Washington Capitals Thursday night at the Verizon Center.
On a night when the Canadiens played catchup from the opening faceoff, Dustin Tokarski kept the Canadiens in the game until Tomas Plekanec beat Braden Holtby with a rising shot to the far top corner to tie the game at 10:31 of the third period. The Canadiens thought they had the equalizer when P.A. Parenteau beat Holtby 80 seconds earlier, but the goal was waved off because Rene Bourque interfered with the goalie. And the Canadiens missed an opportunity to go ahead when Bourque hit the goalpost on a power play at 15:31. It was ruled a goal on the ice, but it was overturned after a video review. Tokarski, who kept the Canadiens’ hopes alive with a big save on Alex Ovechkin early in the third period, made 29 stops while Hotlby made 23.
Canadiens miss wake-up call: It would be an understatement to say the Canadiens had a slow start. By the time Lars Eller registered Montreal’s first shot on goal, on a power play at 17:26 of the first period, the Capitals had 14 shots and a 1-0 lead. It was a tribute to Tokarski that the Canadiens trailed by only one goal at the intermission. Tokarski didn’t have a chance on the opening goal by André Burakovsky, an Austrian-born Swede. P.K. Subban lost the puck to Troy Brouwer as he attempted to move from behind the Canadiens’ net and Brouwer found Burakovsky alone in front of the net at 6:43.
PK back on track: The PK in this case is the penalty-kill which has been one of the Canadiens’ strengths in recent years. The Capitals’ power play, which includes snipers Alex Ovechkin and Nicklas Backstrom, went 0-for-5 and they failed to get a shot on goal on three of their power plays. Montreal had six of its first seven shots on goal while on the power play but they also came up empty on five opportunities.
O’Brien shows grit: Liam O’Brien, the Halifax native who made the Capitals as an amateur tryout, played sparingly but made an impression early in the second period when he traded punches with Brandon Prust.
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![Brooks Laich #21 of the Washington Capitals brings the puck around the net as he is pursued by Tom Gilbert #77 of the Montreal Canadiens in the second period during the Capitals NHL season opener at Verizon Center on October 9, 2014 in Washington, DC.]()
Brooks Laich #21 of the Washington Capitals brings the puck around the net as he is pursued by Tom Gilbert #77 of the Montreal Canadiens in the second period during the Capitals NHL season opener at Verizon Center on October 9, 2014 in Washington, DC.
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![Washington Capitals' Andre Burakovsky, top, moves the puck on Montreal Canadiens' Max Pacioretty (67) during the first period of an NHL hockey game, Thursday, Oct 9, 2014, in Washington.]()
Washington Capitals' Andre Burakovsky, top, moves the puck on Montreal Canadiens' Max Pacioretty (67) during the first period of an NHL hockey game, Thursday, Oct 9, 2014, in Washington.
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![David Desharnais #51 of the Montreal Canadiens brings the puck up ice in the first period against Evgeny Kuznetsov #92 of the Washington Capitals during the Capitals NHL season opener at Verizon Center on October 9, 2014 in Washington, DC.]()
David Desharnais #51 of the Montreal Canadiens brings the puck up ice in the first period against Evgeny Kuznetsov #92 of the Washington Capitals during the Capitals NHL season opener at Verizon Center on October 9, 2014 in Washington, DC.
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![Andre Burakovsky #65 of the Washington Capitals celebrates with his teammates after scoring his first career NHL goal in the first period against the Montreal Canadiens during the Capitals NHL season opener at Verizon Center on October 9, 2014 in Washington, DC.]()
Andre Burakovsky #65 of the Washington Capitals celebrates with his teammates after scoring his first career NHL goal in the first period against the Montreal Canadiens during the Capitals NHL season opener at Verizon Center on October 9, 2014 in Washington, DC.
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![Nicklas Backstrom of the Washington Capitals is checked against the boards by Andrei Markov of the Montreal Canadiens in the second period during the Capitals NHL season opener at Verizon Center on October 9, 2014, in Washington, DC.]()
Nicklas Backstrom of the Washington Capitals is checked against the boards by Andrei Markov of the Montreal Canadiens in the second period during the Capitals NHL season opener at Verizon Center on October 9, 2014, in Washington, DC.
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![Montreal Canadiens' Alex Galchenyuk, top, moves the puck past Washington Capitals' Matt Niskanen (2) during the second period of an NHL hockey game, Thursday, Oct 9, 2014, in Washington.]()
Montreal Canadiens' Alex Galchenyuk, top, moves the puck past Washington Capitals' Matt Niskanen (2) during the second period of an NHL hockey game, Thursday, Oct 9, 2014, in Washington.
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![Washington Capitals' Andre Burakovsky celebrates after scoring a goal during the first period of an NHL hockey game against the Montreal Canadiens, Thursday, Oct 9, 2014, in Washington.]()
Washington Capitals' Andre Burakovsky celebrates after scoring a goal during the first period of an NHL hockey game against the Montreal Canadiens, Thursday, Oct 9, 2014, in Washington.
Gallery: Canadiens vs. Capitals
Action from the Montreal Canadiens vs. Washington Capitals NHL game at the Verizon Center in Washington, D.C., Thursday Oct. 9, 2014.
Lineup changes: Veteran Travis Moen replaced Dale Weise on the fourth line to start the game and coach Michel Therrien made one significant move during the game. He reunited Brendan Gallagher with David Desharnais and Max Pacioretty and moved Parenteau to the Plekanec line.
Happy anniversary: The Capitals are celebrating their 40th anniversary this season and they kicked off the festivities by introducing four former players, including two who started their NHL careers in Montreal. Defenceman Rod Langway began his Hall of Fame career with four seasons as a Canadien and was part of a Stanley Cup-winning team as a rookie in 1979 while forward Craig Laughlin played one season in Montreal before moving to Washington. The other players were Peter Bondra, the team’s all-time leading scorer, and defenceman Sylvain Coté.
What’s next: The Canadiens’ road trip continues Saturday with a game against the Philadelphia Flyers (7 p.m., CITY, TVA Sports, TSN-690 Radio). The Flyers fell to 0-2 Thursday night when they lost their home opener 6-4 to New Jersey. The trip concludes Monday in Tampa. The Canadiens’ first game at the Bell Centre will be Thursday against the Boston Bruins.
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