Thompson dazzles late as the Capitals beat the Canadiens in Game 2 to take a 2-0 series lead

WASHINGTON (AP) — Connor McMichael and Dylan Strome scored a minute apart early in the second period, Logan Thompson made some spectacular stops among his 25 saves and the Washington Capitals beat the Montreal Canadiens 3-1 on Wednesday night to take a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven first-round series.

Thompson was at his best in the third, notably robbing Josh Anderson of what would have been the tying goal on a 2-on-0 breakaway with 10:59 left, then later getting his stick on a deflection by Christian Dvorak. Fans chanted “L-T! L-T!” and gave the goaltender a standing ovation in honor of his performance in just his second game back from injury.

"He shut the door when we needed it most," Strome said. “He was unbelievable, especially in the last five minutes.”

Until that point, Thompson did not have much work to do as his teammates outshot Montreal 18-8 in the second when Washington tilted the ice toward Sam Montembeault. McMichael added his second of the game into an empty net with 1.1 seconds left.

McMichael and Strome scoring turned the tide in favor of the Capitals, who after an uneven start looked every bit like the top team in the Eastern Conference and one of the best in the NHL this season. They controlled the puck for long stretches and got to the middle of the ice in front of Montembeault easily and with little resistance from a smaller and less experienced opponent.

Still, Canadiens coach Martin St. Louis liked elements of his team's game, including the play that led to Dvorak's goal that opened the scoring and the pressure put on the Capitals.

“It’s can you maximize those touches, those scoring chances — they’ve done that better than we have so far,” St. Louis said. I believe in the group. I think both goalies were great tonight. It’s a fine line between winning and losing."

Montembeault, like in Game 1, was arguably the Canadiens' best player, turning aside 29 of the 31 shots he faced, including Anthony Beauvillier on a quality scoring chance in the first and Nic Dowd on a shorthanded odd-man rush in the second. Cracking him twice allowed Washington to take control of the series.

“It was a tight game, but, yeah, a huge win,” captain Alex Ovechkin said. “They play hard, we play hard. It’s the playoffs. All the small details gonna count.”

Game 3 is Friday night in Montreal, marking the return of playoff hockey with Bell Centre full of fans. The last time that happened was 2017 because the Habs' 2021 run to the Stanley Cup Final came when pandemic restrictions limited capacity to a crowd of 3,500.

AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl

Washington Capitals goaltender Logan Thompson stops the puck in the third period of Game 1 of a first-round NHL hockey playoff series against the Montreal Canadiens, Monday, April 21, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)

Washington Capitals goaltender Logan Thompson stops the puck in the third period of Game 2 of a first-round NHL hockey playoff series against the Montreal Canadiens Wednesday, April 23, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)

Washington Capitals goaltender Logan Thompson, left, celebrates with defenseman Rasmus Sandin (38) after Game 2 of a first-round NHL hockey playoff series against the Montreal Canadiens Wednesday, April 23, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)

Washington Capitals goaltender Logan Thompson (48) celebrates with center Connor McMichael (24) and others after Game 2 of a first-round NHL hockey playoff series against the Montreal Canadiens Wednesday, April 23, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)

Washington Capitals goaltender Logan Thompson deflects the puck in the third period of Game 1 of a first-round NHL hockey playoff series against the Montreal Canadiens, Monday, April 21, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)

Washington Capitals center Dylan Strome, front, skates with the puck past Montreal Canadiens right wing Josh Anderson, back, in the first period of Game 2 of a first-round NHL hockey playoff series Wednesday, April 23, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)

Montreal Canadiens defenseman Mike Matheson (8) battles for the puck against Washington Capitals right wing Tom Wilson (43) in the second period of Game 2 of a first-round NHL hockey playoff series Wednesday, April 23, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)

Washington Capitals defenseman John Carlson (74) shoots the puck in the first period of Game 2 of a first-round NHL hockey playoff series against the Montreal Canadiens Wednesday, April 23, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)

Washington Capitals left wing Anthony Beauvillier (72) reaches for the puck past Montreal Canadiens goaltender Sam Montembeault (35) in the first period of Game 2 of a first-round NHL hockey playoff series, Wednesday, April 23, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)

Washington Capitals center Nic Dowd (26) battles for the puck against Montreal Canadiens left wing Emil Heineman (51) and defenseman David Savard (58) in the first period of Game 2 of a first-round NHL hockey playoff series Wednesday, April 23, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)

Montreal Canadiens center Christian Dvorak (28) scores a goal against Washington Capitals goaltender Logan Thompson (48) in the second period of Game 2 of a first-round NHL hockey playoff series Wednesday, April 23, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)

Washington Capitals goaltender Logan Thompson (48) stops the puck in the second period of Game 2 of a first-round NHL hockey playoff series against the Montreal Canadiens, Wednesday, April 23, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)

Washington Capitals center Connor McMichael (24) celebrates his goal in the second period of Game 2 of a first-round NHL hockey playoff series against the Montreal Canadiens Wednesday, April 23, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)

Washington Capitals center Dylan Strome (17) celebrates his goal in the second period of Game 2 of a first-round NHL hockey playoff series against the Montreal Canadiens Wednesday, April 23, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)

The Milan Cortina Winter Olympics will debut a new sport next month: Ski mountaineering, which combines uphill sprinting (on boots and on skis) and downhill skiing. Although the sport on the global stage is relatively new, it does have roots dating to the late 19th century. Backcountry winter sports have grown in popularity and there is anecdotal evidence that they saw a surge in participation during the pandemic.

Something to know about skimo: It's fast, with sprint races lasting about 3 minutes.

Ski mountaineering will have men's and women's sprint events along with a mixed relay.

The race works like this: The racers sprint uphill with skins on the bottom of their skis. A skin is a strip of material that allows for traction going uphill. They then run a section in boots before putting their skis back on to traverse another uphill section. Once at the top, they take the skins off and race downhill. In the men's and women's sprint-event format, there will be a qualifying round where 18 racers qualify over three heats. The top three athletes in each heat advance to the semifinals along with three others based on time. In the semifinal rounds, two advance along with two more “lucky losers," which sets up the race for medals. The mixed relay consists of one female and one male racer from each country. Each will complete two ascents and descents. The female athlete begins, then tags her male teammate for the switch. The team that completes all four laps first wins gold.

The current ski mountaineering sprint champions are Swiss racer Marianne Fatton and Spain's Oriol Cardona Coll. Another favorite is France's Emily Harrop, who won the test event at the venue last winter ahead of Fatton. Coll won the men's event ahead of Swiss racers Jon Kistler and Arno Lietha. In the mixed relay event, Coll partnered with Ana Alonso Rodriguez for the win. Harrop and Thibault Anselmet were second. Rodriguez said in October she was hit by a car while cycling, tearing knee ligaments, hoping to heal in time. The U.S. earned an Olympic spot in the mixed relay thanks to a World Cup victory from Anna Gibson and Cam Smith.

The races will be staged in Bormio at the Stelvio Ski Center, with the men's and women's sprint events taking place on Feb. 19. The mixed relay competition takes place two days later.

The medal winners will be the first in their sport at the Olympics.

There are penalties in the race for things such as disrespectful behavior, unsportsmanlike conduct, technical errors and equipment that’s missing. The penalties range from a disqualification to adding time. The first ski mountaineering world championships were held in France in 2002. The sport is presided over by the International Ski Mountaineering Federation (ISMF), representing roughly 55 national federations across five continents. Ski mountaineering was part of the 2020 Winter Youth Olympics in Lausanne. The sport is proposed for the 2030 Winter Games in the French Alps.

AP Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics

FILE - An athlete competes during the women's sprint race at the Ski Mountaineering World Cup event in Bormio, Italy, Saturday, Feb. 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni, File)