Capitals hand struggling Canadiens 10th loss in 11 games
WASHINGTON - Braden Holtby stopped 29 shots, Jason Chimera had a goal and an assist and the Washington Capitals beat the struggling Montreal Canadiens 3-1 Saturday night for their seventh straight victory.
Off to the best start in franchise history, Washington leads the Eastern Conference with a 26-6-2 record and has won eight straight at home. Evgeny Kuznetsov and Jay Beagle also scored for the Capitals.
Holtby allowed only a second-period goal to Daniel Carr in earning his NHL-leading 22nd victory.
Braden Holtby (@washcaps) made 29 saves to extend his personal point streak to 15 consecutive decisions (14-0-1). He leads NHL with 22 wins.
— NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) December 27, 2015
He's 8-0-2 lifetime against Montreal with a goals-against average well under 2.
The Canadiens have been outscored 22-6 while losing their last six games and dropping 10 of 11 since Dec. 1.
Last time the Montreal Canadiens lost 10 of 11 games, they fired Alain Vigneault and gave Michel Therrien his first NHL coaching job (2000).
— Eric Engels (@EricEngels) December 27, 2015
Montreal's collapse coincides with the absence of top goaltender Carey Price and star right wing Brendan Gallagher. Price has been sidelined since Nov. 25 with a lower body injury and Gallagher missed his 15th straight game with broken fingers.
-with files from theScore