The Montreal Canadiens were coming off a deflating overtime loss to the New York Islanders, where they blew a lead late before the Islanders took the win in the extra period of hockey. They needed to put that game behind them and faced a tough challenge in the Washington Capitals, who are desperately trying to remain in the playoff picture.
However, on Saturday night, it was clear who the better team was as the Canadiens were able to get the early lead, and after Alex Ovechkin tied it up in the first, it was Montreal after that as they scored three straight. Washington added a goal in the third, but that was as close as they would get as the Canadiens would win 5-2.
These are some of the top takeaways from the game on Saturday night.
Cole Caufield with two impressive goals early to set the tone for Montreal
Cole Caufield was able to put the game on Thursday night behind the Canadiens very early, in fact, about 30 seconds into the game. Caufield would be able to collect the puck and beat everyone down the ice for a breakaway goal to give Montreal the lead.
However, he wasn't done in the period as he added another goal after Ovechkin's goal and gave Montreal the lead for good. Caufield now has 35 goals on the season and is on pace to get close to 50 goals this season.
Zack Bolduc makes an impact in his return to the lineup
Prior to the game, the Montreal Canadiens elected to make a change to the lineup and have Bolduc, who was a healthy scratch against the Islanders, return to the ice in place of Alexandre Texier. It was a little surprising that Martin St. Louis decided to take Bolduc out, especially with how he was playing leading up to the Olympic break.
On Saturday, Bolduc made his presence known on the ice and had the primary assist on Mike Matheson's goal in the second period. He now has five assists in the past six games he has played and 14 assists on the season.
Bolduc got off to a slow start in his first season with the Montreal Canadiens, but he should remain active moving forward, as he can be a boost for this team down the stretch.
Jakub Dobes makes his case to be the starting goaltender
Jakub Dobes would get the start against the Capitals after Samuel Montembeault got the start in the first game back from the Olympic break against the Islanders. When comparing the two performances, it seems pretty clear that Dobes should be the starter moving forward.
Against the Capitals, Dobes finished the game with 26 saves on 28 shots, including six power play saves. He did a great job making timely saves when the Canadiens needed them and helped keep the lead throughout the game.
He is now 7-0-1 over his past eight starts dating back to the beginning of January. It is hard to imagine how Dobes isn't the starter on two of the next three games on the upcoming road trip.
Montreal Canadiens build a lead and close it out against the Washington Capitals
The Montreal Canadiens late game struggles are well-documented, but on Saturday night, it wasn't a concern. They were able to take control of the game in the second and build that three-goal lead going into the final period.
While the Capitals added a goal to cut the lead to two, the Canadiens did a good job controlling the flow before Nick Suzuki was able to score an empty-net goal to push the lead back to three. Jake Evans added an empty net goal as well after that to ensure there was no chance at a comeback.
With the Buffalo Sabres winning over the Tampa Bay Lightning, the Montreal Canadiens needed two points here to keep pace. They have a tough stretch of games next week on this West Coast trip, including a back-to-back next weekend, so not letting points slip away is crucial to their playoff chances.
Hopefully, this is the start of a trend where the Canadiens have turned a corner and learned how to close out games. They can't afford to let many points slip through their grasps down the stretch.