We can't blame Nick Suzuki for not taking his role as captain to heart. In this first game of the post-Sean Monahan era, he was the one who allowed the Canadian to surprise the Capitals in Washington.
His two goals within 57 seconds, when Charlie Lindgren and his teammates appeared to have not yet returned from vacation, laid the foundation for this 5-2 victory.
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Good thing the captain (and his linemates Cole Caufield and Juraj Slafkovsky) were there and struck early. Because, as expected, a rather sparse formation in the center is living on borrowed time.
Brandon Gignac, playing his first NHL game in five years, and Lucas Condotta, playing just his fourth, had their hands full at times.
As evidence, these few presences serve as evidence in which Martin St-Louis's troops, trapped in their territory, were unable to retreat to the bench.
In the last part of the second third, Condotta (2:13), Michael Pezzetta (2:18), Rafaël Harvey-Pinard (2:43), Kaiden Guhle (2:43) and Mike Matheson (2:47) were in the lead to burp her pina colada a few times before it can be replaced.
The same thing happened early in the third period with 1:41 of Gignac, Josh Anderson and Joel Armia present.
Bend without breaking
The Canadian bent but couldn't break. The Canadian head coach will no doubt be proud of the fighting spirit shown by his team.
Especially by Samuel Montembeault.
Staying true to himself and the performances that earned him Montreal Player of the Month in January, Montembeault allowed his teammates to weather the storm that descended on them in 32 of the final 40 minutes of the game.
Slafkovsky, back at the helm, delivered a solid performance. And not just because he scored two goals in the third period, including the one that broke the locals' backs.
The shots with which he moved the strings were top class.
But even without the puck, the Slovakian stood out. He was indirectly involved in Suzuki's two goals by removing an opponent. He executed effective defensive retreats, including one of nearly 200 feet. In addition, he did not hesitate to collaborate with Tom Wilson.
Ovechkin slows down
The Capitals have long been considered a power in the league and are looking for themselves. In fact, nothing is going well in the American capital anymore. The Capitals have allowed at least five goals for the fourth game in a row.
For anyone aiming for a playoff spot, this isn't the ideal recipe. In addition, the Capitals players, like the Canadiens players, will return to vacation in mid-April. For Alex Ovechkin and his gang it would be the second exclusion in a row.
Speaking of Zar: He only hit the target for the tenth time this season. Spencer Carbery is trying so hard to revive him that he has offered him a new role in the big offense. He brought him to base from the left faceoff circle where he spent his career.
It wasn't a huge success considering the Caps were shut out on three power plays.
But hey, the Canadian has had enough of his problems without worrying about those of other teams.