Capitals 5, Canadiens 4: Tuch's Short-Handed Goal, Then the Third

October 14, 2026 - Washington - Alex Tuch picked up a deflection, went in short-handed on a 2-on-1 with Aliaksei Protas, and snapped it from the left circle. Capital One Arena had a 3-2 lead it had not held for long all night. It still needed the third period to keep it.

The Washington Capitals beat the Montreal Canadiens 5-4. Washington is 4-3-0 after two straight losses, including 4-2 at Carolina on Tuesday. Montreal is 3-3-1 after winning two, including a 4-3 shootout over Buffalo on Tuesday. Shots were 30-23 Montreal. Attendance was 16,719, per ESPN. Charlie Lindgren, Justin Holl, Ivan Miroshnichenko, Cole Hutson, and Ilya Protas are not seeded on AthX player pages, so those names stay unlinked.

Tuch finished with two goals and an assist. Jordan Kyrou had a goal and an assist. Ilya Protas had two assists. Lindgren stopped 26 of 30. Josh Anderson scored twice. Lane Hutson had a goal and an assist. Jakub Dobes stopped 18 of 23.

Four leads that would not stay

Anderson opened it at 4:29 of the first. Kyrou turned it over in his own zone. Alex Newhook got there, went below the goal line, and found Anderson alone in front. Flick past Lindgren. 1-0.

Kyrou tied it at 7:56, just after a Capitals power play ended. Cole Hutson dropped it. Kyrou deked around Anderson, walked into the slot, and beat Dobes stick side from between the circles, the NHL recap said.

Lane Hutson put Montreal back in front at 11:15. He got around Ilya Protas at the offensive blue line and buried a wrist shot from the high slot. Zack Bolduc and Noah Dobson drew assists. Lane told NHL.com they carried a lot of the play for big chunks. Cole and Lane Hutson became the second set of defenseman brothers to each get a point in their first head-to-head game, following Luke and Quinn Hughes on Dec. 5, 2023, the NHL recap said.

Miroshnichenko, in his season debut, tied it 2-2 at 19:34 on the power play. The NHL recap said his pass across the crease went in off Anderson's stick. Ilya Protas and Kyrou had the assists.

Tuch short-handed, Anderson again, then the third

Tuch's short-handed snap at 6:16 of the second was the first lead Washington held into the next shift. Lindgren told NHL.com that after four years of playing against that release, you know how deadly it is. Two sniper's goals, he said.

Anderson evened it 3-3 at 12:58. Newhook stole it from Holl along the left boards and put it on Anderson's stick for the tip. Anderson told NHL.com it was a good road game at even strength and that the kill hurt them, especially himself, being out there for those two Capitals goals.

Holl broke the tie at 12:29 of the third, a wrist shot through traffic from the right point. Ilya Protas and Alex Ovechkin on the play. The NHL recap put Ovechkin at 760 career assists, two behind Nicklas Backstrom's franchise record of 762. Holl's second goal in two games as a Capital.

Tuch made it 5-3 at 17:05 on a spinning shot from the right circle, unassisted. Spencer Carbery called it a phenomenal third, arguably one of the best periods they had played all year.

Nick Suzuki pulled Montreal to 5-4 at 18:21 on a 6-on-4, extra attacker on a power play. Wrist shot from the left circle. Hutson the only assist. Suzuki told NHL.com they would like a few defensive plays back in the third. Carbery, on Tuch: not just the production, the overall package, off to a great start after the June sign-and-trade from Buffalo. Tuch told NHL.com nobody was gripping the stick too tight. Martin St. Louis said they were struggling at getting rewarded for the work.

AthX Engine on a 19.00 home night

AthX Engine (our projection and scoring system) scored Tuch at 13.30 (two goals, an assist, three shots, and the short-handed bonus). The skater row does not fill that column. Anderson is 9.30. Lane Hutson and Kyrou are 8.30. Dobson is 7.50 on an assist, five shots, and four blocks. Newhook is 7.30 on two assists. Suzuki is 6.30 with the power-play bonus. Lindgren's win, 26 saves, and four goals against land at 8.60. Dobes is 1.20.

Washington's team line is 19.00. Montreal's regulation loss is 3.80.

Fantasy points measure the box. Price is what traders will pay for a Capitals winger who already has five goals in seven games in a new building. They are not the same number.

Track Tuch, Kyrou, Suzuki, and both clubs on the marketplace. New Jersey visits Washington on Saturday. Buffalo visits Montreal that night.

*Sources: AP recap (ESPN), ESPN box score, NHL.com recap, NHL.com scoreboard, ESPN NHL scoreboard. AthX Engine fantasy points scored from NHL gamecenter box 2026020106. Information only; not financial advice.*