The Capitals earned it — the game and the expected-goals battle both.
The Capitals' 8-4 victory masks a far tighter underlying contest—Washington overperformed its expected goals by 2.99, converting chances at an elite rate despite narrowly outplaying Montreal in raw opportunity creation. Controlling 56% of 5v5 expected goals (5.01–3.93), the Capitals won decisively on finishing alone.
Washington's rush attack drove the separation. The Capitals scored 5 goals on 24 rush chances, an exceptional conversion rate that accounted for much of their overperformance. Montreal managed 3 rush goals on 29 attempts, efficient but ultimately insufficient. Washington's power play stretched the lead: 2 goals on 7 shots (0.53 xG), special-teams dominance Montreal couldn't threaten.
Goaltending sealed the result. S. Montembeault (MTL) yielded 1.57 goals more than expected, a collapse that left Montreal defenseless. C. Lindgren (WSH) was steady at 0.857 SV% on 28 shots. When J. Dobes (MTL) took over, Washington had already escaped.
Sonny Milano's snap shot from the top of the circles (P3, 18:34) exemplified Washington's precision in the third period. Montreal crashed the net with 4 rebound opportunities and converted one. Washington created 7 rebounds but found none—an absence that hardly mattered. The Capitals' margin was built through rush scoring, not rebound opportunities.