MONTREAL (AP) — The Capitals and Canadiens each lost their No. 1 goaltender in Game 3 of their first-round series on Friday night.
Washington's Logan Thompson put no weight on his left skate while being helped off after getting run into by teammate Dylan Strome on the same play that put the Canadiens up 5-3 with just over six minutes left in the third period. He was replaced by backup Charlie Lindgren.
“It was tough, obviously (Strome) is trying to get back and make a desperate play to save a goal and it’s unfortunate,” Capitals defenseman Jakob Chychrun said.
Montreal’s Sam Montembeault exited in favor of Jakub Dobes just past the midway point of the second after grabbing at the back of his left leg. Montembeault was quickly ruled out with a lower-body injury.
The Canadiens won 6-3 to cut the Eastern Conference top-seeded Capitals' series lead to 2-1. Game 4 is Sunday night back at Bell Centre.
Capitals coach Spencer Carbery did not have an update on Thompson after the game.
Thompson was playing for just the second time since getting injured on a shot to the mask April 2 at Carolina. He was out for 2 1/2 weeks before returning for Washington's playoff opener and was one of his team's best players through the first couple of games.
Thompson took a stick to the head and multiple pucks off his mask Friday night before the collision with Strome that knocked him out of the game. He allowed five goals on 35 shots after just two on 58 over Games 1 and 2 combined.
“You never want to see anybody go down,” Washington defenseman John Carlson said.
Montembeault was also a strength in net for the eighth-seeded Canadiens before going down. Dobes, a 23-year-old from Czechia, faced just eight shots in relief and stopped seven of them to pick up his first NHL playoff win in his first appearance.
“You guys cannot imagine how a person feels,” Dobes said. “I was afraid, I was excited, I was emotional. I was crying at the end. I was a mess.”
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AP NHL playoffs: https://apnews.com/hub/stanley-cup and https://apnews.com/hub/NHL
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