Washington Capitals at Montréal Canadiens
NHL game between the Washington Capitals and the Montréal Canadiens on Feb 28, 2026. Final score: Washington Capitals 2, Montréal Canadiens 6.
| Status | Final |
|---|---|
| Date | Feb 28, 2026 |
| Venue | Centre Bell |
| Washington Capitals score | 2 |
| Montréal Canadiens score | 6 |
Shot charts, expected goals (xG), Game Score and advanced box scores for this game are available on Hockey Alchemy.
Three Stars by Game Score
Ranked by Game Score, which rolls goals, assists, shot quality, play-driving and penalties into one number — so the best player is chosen by the box score, not by a vote.
| Player | Pos | G | A | SOG | TOI | xG | Game Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Nick Suzuki | C | 1 | 2 | 2 | 18:25 | 0.72 | 2.03 |
| 2nd | Cole Caufield | R | 2 | 0 | 5 | 16:19 | 0.92 | 1.65 |
| 3rd | Alex Ovechkin | L | 2 | 0 | 6 | 15:30 | 0.72 | 1.60 |
Scoring Summary
| Time | Team | Goal | Assists | Strength | Score (Washington Capitals–Montréal Canadiens) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st 00:30 | MTL | Cole Caufield | — | 5v5 | 0–1 |
| 1st 13:16 | WSH | Alex Ovechkin | Anthony Beauvillier, Declan Chisholm | 5v5 | 1–1 |
| 1st 14:19 | MTL | Cole Caufield | Nick Suzuki, Jayden Struble | 5v5 | 1–2 |
| 2nd 12:22 | MTL | Mike Matheson | Zachary Bolduc, Alex Newhook | 5v5 | 1–3 |
| 2nd 16:34 | MTL | Kirby Dach | Nick Suzuki | 5v5 | 1–4 |
| 3rd 12:12 | WSH | Alex Ovechkin | Dylan Strome, Anthony Beauvillier | 5v5 | 2–4 |
| 3rd 16:44 | MTL | Nick Suzuki | — | 5v6 | 2–5 |
| 3rd 18:35 | MTL | Jake Evans | — | 4v6 | 2–6 |
Team Comparison
| Washington Capitals | Montréal Canadiens | |
|---|---|---|
| Goals | 2 | 6 |
| Shots on goal | 29 | 25 |
| Expected goals (xG) | 4.02 | 3.67 |
| High-danger shots | 19 | 13 |
| Corsi % | 50.9% | 49.1% |
| Power play | 0/4 | 0/3 |
| Faceoff % | 50.0% | 50.0% |
| Hits | 20 | 13 |
| Blocks | 13 | 12 |
| Giveaways | 14 | 16 |
| Takeaways | 4 | 3 |
Washington Capitals Skaters
| Player | Pos | G | A | P | SOG | TOI | xG | Game Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alex Ovechkin | L | 2 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 15:30 | 0.72 | 1.60 |
| Anthony Beauvillier | L | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 12:42 | 0.08 | 1.33 |
| Dylan Strome | C | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 16:07 | 0.70 | 0.69 |
| Declan Chisholm | D | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 13:00 | 0.01 | 0.54 |
| Martin Fehérváry | D | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 21:28 | 0.08 | 0.35 |
| Tom Wilson | R | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 19:16 | 0.33 | 0.15 |
| Matt Roy | D | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 20:58 | 0.01 | 0.15 |
| Rasmus Sandin | D | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 19:06 | 0.00 | 0.10 |
| Trevor van Riemsdyk | D | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 15:12 | 0.02 | 0.10 |
| Justin Sourdif | R | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12:43 | 0.09 | 0.05 |
| Pierre-Luc Dubois | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 18:22 | 0.42 | 0.05 |
| Nic Dowd | C | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 14:48 | 0.02 | 0.00 |
| Ethen Frank | C | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 11:30 | 0.17 | 0.00 |
| Aliaksei Protas | C | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 18:05 | 0.17 | 0.00 |
| Jakob Chychrun | D | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 23:20 | 0.30 | -0.05 |
| Connor McMichael | C | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 15:09 | 0.38 | -0.10 |
| Ryan Leonard | R | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 15:09 | 0.10 | -0.15 |
| Brandon Duhaime | R | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 10:43 | 0.02 | -0.20 |
Montréal Canadiens Skaters
| Player | Pos | G | A | P | SOG | TOI | xG | Game Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nick Suzuki | C | 1 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 18:25 | 0.72 | 2.03 |
| Cole Caufield | R | 2 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 16:19 | 0.92 | 1.65 |
| Jake Evans | C | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 14:25 | 0.02 | 0.85 |
| Zachary Bolduc | R | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 12:24 | 0.08 | 0.84 |
| Jayden Struble | D | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 11:08 | 0.00 | 0.69 |
| Alex Newhook | C | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 13:45 | 0.00 | 0.59 |
| Kirby Dach | C | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 13:44 | 0.04 | 0.55 |
| Mike Matheson | D | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 24:04 | 0.20 | 0.40 |
| Kaiden Guhle | D | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 24:48 | 0.05 | 0.15 |
| Lane Hutson | D | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 20:14 | 0.05 | 0.10 |
| Josh Anderson | R | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 15:40 | 0.00 | 0.05 |
| Ivan Demidov | R | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 12:44 | 0.38 | 0.00 |
| Juraj Slafkovský | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 14:23 | 0.46 | 0.00 |
| Oliver Kapanen | C | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11:41 | 0.09 | 0.00 |
| Phillip Danault | C | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 17:53 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| Alexandre Carrier | D | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 18:01 | 0.05 | -0.10 |
| Brendan Gallagher | R | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13:47 | 0.00 | -0.10 |
| Noah Dobson | D | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 16:35 | 0.06 | -0.15 |
Goaltending
| Goalie | Team | SV | SA | SV% | GSAx | Decision |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Charlie Lindgren | Washington Capitals | 19 | 23 | 82.6% | -0.82 | L |
| Jakub Dobes | Montréal Canadiens | 27 | 29 | 93.1% | 1.97 | W |
Analysis
The Montréal Canadiens defeated the Washington Capitals 6–2 on Feb 28, 2026, a decisive 4-goal win.
Montréal Canadiens generated 3.67 expected goals to Washington Capitals's 4.02 — Washington Capitals owned the better of the chances but Montréal Canadiens took the game, the kind of split that usually means finishing or goaltending decided it; by expected goals it was close to a coin flip.
Nick Suzuki led all skaters with a Game Score of 2.03 on 1 goal, 2 assists, 2 shots on goal.
Jakub Dobes stopped 27 of 29, worth 1.97 goals saved above expected.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who won the Washington Capitals vs Montréal Canadiens game?
The Montréal Canadiens beat the Washington Capitals 6–2 on Feb 28, 2026.
What was the final score?
The final score was Montréal Canadiens 6, Washington Capitals 2.
Who was the best player in this game?
By Game Score — a single-number summary of everything a skater did — Nick Suzuki led all skaters at 2.03, on 1G, 2A and 2 shots on goal.
Which team deserved to win by expected goals?
Montréal Canadiens generated 3.67 expected goals and Washington Capitals generated 4.02, so Washington Capitals created the better chances. The scoreboard went the other way, which points to finishing or goaltending.
What were the shot totals?
Washington Capitals put 29 shots on goal and Montréal Canadiens put 25. High-danger chances went 19 to 13.
How did the goaltenders play?
Charlie Lindgren stopped 19 of 23 (-0.82 goals saved above expected); Jakub Dobes stopped 27 of 29 (1.97 goals saved above expected).