Mantha scores twice in 34 seconds, Capitals rout Canadiens

MONTREAL (AP) — Anthony Mantha scored twice in a 34-second span midway through the second period and had two assists in the Washington Capitals' 8-4 victory over the Montreal Canadiens 8-4 on Saturday night.

“It’s really good (for confidence), especially in games like these in Montreal,” said Mantha, from nearby Longueuil. “My family and friends are here, I can’t wait to see them. I’ll try to continue on that run and build up as much confidence for the playoffs.”

Mantha has returned from a shoulder injury.

“It’s really good having him back because of his size, because of the way you can be physical, his skill level and the way he can contribute to our team when he’s on his game,” Capitals coach Peter Laviolette said. “It’s nice to see him get back and get into a rhythm and be able to contribute.”

Alex Ovechkin scored his 47th of the season and Nic Dowd, Garnet Hathaway, Justin Schultz, T.J. Oshie and Dmitry Orlov also connected. Vitek Vanacek made 28 saves.

Ryan Poehling scored twice for Montreal. Jake Evans and Nick Suzuki added goals, and Samuel Montembeault made 32 saves.

Mantha gave Washington a 2-1 lead at 8:03 of the second, scoring off his own rebound. Mantha then beat Montembeault with a wrist shot at 8:37. The teams were each a man short for both goals.

“We fell on four-on-four and they scored two goals, Washington is good with space,” Cabadiens coach Martin St. Louis said. “I’ll take a bit of blame for that because, honestly, I can’t say we worked a lot on four-on-four concepts. Those goals hurt us.”

UP NEXT

Capitals: At Colorado on Monday night.

Canadiens: Host Minnesota on Tuesday night.