Capitals' coach Carbery after big third-period rally: 'We showed a ton of character'

WASHINGTON (AP) — The dog days have arrived for the Washington Capitals, who are struggling to maintain playoff position after an injury to Tom Wilson.

Every victory — especially a come-from-behind effort like this one — feels big.

Ethen Frank scored twice in the third period to tie the game, and then Connor McMichael added the winner in the final minute of overtime for a 3-2 victory over the Montreal Canadiens on Tuesday night.

“As a group, we're working through, trying to find ourselves through this stretch with some injuries, battling through some things, missing some key guys,” coach Spencer Carbery said. “But we showed a ton of character and fight in that third period.”

With Wilson missing a fifth straight game, the Capitals allowed an early shorthanded goal, and in the second period their power play was so bad it drew boos from the home crowd. Montreal was up 2-0 after two, but Washington responded by outshooting the Canadiens 15-5 in the third and then 10-1 in overtime.

The 27-year-old Frank can be a solid depth player, but the Capitals needed more from him Tuesday and he delivered. He was on the ice with standouts Alex Ovechkin and Dylan Strome when he deflected Matt Roy's shot into the net to make it 2-1.

Then, when Washington pulled the goalie late, Frank scored on a redirect with 1:54 remaining to force overtime.

He now has 10 goals and eight assists on the season.

“It's meant a lot. It's been quite a ride,” Frank said. “I don't even know if I could find the words to describe it. It's been pretty chaotic. It's been a lot of fun for sure.”

The win left the Capitals in sole possession of third place in the Metropolitan Division, two points ahead of Philadelphia and Pittsburgh. Washington is tied for fourth in the league with 21 regulation wins, but an 0-5 record in shootouts has hurt. The Capitals avoided another shootout when McMichael stuffed home a rebound to win it.

“A night like tonight usually kick-starts a team into something special,” McMichael said. “The race in the East is so tight. Every point is huge.”

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

Montréal Canadiens goaltender Samuel Montembeault (35) stops the puck against Washington Capitals center Ethen Frank (53) during the overtime of an NHL hockey game, Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)

Washington Capitals center Ethen Frank (53) reacts as he skates to the bench after he scored a goal during the third period of an NHL hockey game against the Montréal Canadiens, Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)

Washington Capitals center Ethen Frank (53) celebrates his goal with teammates during the third period of an NHL hockey game against the Montréal Canadiens, Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)

DENVER (AP) — A Frontier Airlines plane hit and killed a pedestrian on the runway of the Denver International Airport during takeoff, airport authorities said, sparking an engine fire and forcing passengers to evacuate.

The plane, on route from Denver to Los Angeles International Airport, “reported striking a pedestrian during takeoff at DEN at approximately 11:19 p.m. on Friday," the airport's official X account wrote.

A spokesperson for the airport said the pedestrian, who jumped a perimeter fence, has died. They said the unidentified person was hit two minutes after entering the airport. The person is not believed to be an airport employee.

“We're stopping on the runway,” the pilot tells the control tower according to the site ATC.com. “We just hit somebody. We have an engine fire.”

The pilot tells the air traffic controller they have “231 souls” on board and that an “individual was walking across the runway.”

The air traffic controller responds that they are “rolling the trucks now" before the pilot tells the tower they “have smoke in the aircraft. We are going to evacuate on the runway.”

Frontier Airlines said in a statement flight 4345 was the one involved in the collision and that “smoke was reported in the cabin and the pilots aborted takeoff.” It was not clear whether the smoke was linked to the crash with the pedestrian.

“The Airbus A321 was carrying 224 passengers and seven crew members,” the airline said. “We are investigating this incident and gathering more information in coordination with the airport and other safety authorities.”

Passengers were then evacuated via slides and the emergency crew bused them to the terminal. The airport spokesperson said 12 passengers suffered minor injuries and five were taken to local hospitals.

Denver Airport said the National Transportation Safety Board had been notified and that runway 17L, where the incident took place, will remain closed while an investigation is conducted. It is expected to open later today.

The pedestrian death came a day after a Delta Air Lines employee was killed while on the job at the Orlando International Airport. In a statement, the airline said the employee was killed Thursday night without providing details of the incident nor the name of the employee.

“We are focused on extending our full support to family and taking care of our Orlando team during this difficult time,” the airline said. "We are working with local authorities as a full investigation gets underway to determine what occurred.”

FILE - A Frontier Airlines jetliner taxis down a runway for take off from Denver International airport on Nov. 25, 2025, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski, File)