Connor McMichael scored twice and Logan Thompson made 14 of his 25 saves in the third period as the Washington Capitals beat the visiting Montreal Canadiens 3-1 on Wednesday to take a 2-0 lead in their first-round matchup in the Stanley Cup playoffs.

The Washington Capitals needed to come from behind yet again. They needed heroics from their goaltender. They needed a buzzer-beating empty-net goal from forward Connor McMichael to finally take a breath.

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 in Game 2 to take a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven first-round series.