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

The Montreal Canadiens have hired player agent Kent Hughes as their general manager, hoping he can turn around a team with the worst record in the NHL.

Mathieu Perreault had a hat trick and the Montreal Canadiens beat the Detroit Red Wings 6-1 on Saturday night to end their season-opening losing streak at five.