MTL@WSH: About Thursday night...
Ben Chiarot was the hero as the Canadiens put a halt to their five-game losing slide
by Pierre-Antoine Mercier, translated by Dan Braverman @CanadiensMTL / canadiens.com
WASHINGTON - Here are a few key storylines from Thursday night's 4-3 overtime win over the Capitals at Capital One Arena.
Chiarot brings the heat
Ben Chiarot played a strong game on Thursday night against the Capitals in Washington.
The defenseman scored two goals, including the overtime winner, to help the Canadiens get a 4-3 win.
It was the second time Chiarot scored an overtime winner this season, and his teammates took the opportunity to highlight his contributions all season long.
"He's been put in a position that maybe he wasn't given in Winnipeg but with us, he's definitely made the most of it. He's probably learned a lot playing with Webby; those two seem to work really well together and he stepped up tonight," praised Gallagher, who scored his 20th goal in the win. "I think the first shot was a little bit nicer than the second one. But nonetheless, they both found a way to go in."
Video: Brendan Gallagher on Ben Chiarot's shot
Gallagher didn't hold back from taking a friendly jab at the 6-foot-3, 225-pound rearguard, either.
"He tells us all the time. It's about time he showed it," cracked Gallagher. "But yes, he's a good player."
All joking aside, Chiarot also played a sound defensive game against the Capitals' high-octane offense. The Atlanta Thrashers' fourth-round pick (120th overall) in 2009 saw 28:05 of ice time and finished with a plus-2 differential.
Still, it was his offensive contribution that got everyone talking on Thursday.
"He's always had a good shot. We've seen it all season long. That's the reason why he was on the power play when [Shea] Weber was out," explained Claude Julien during his postgame media availability. "It was his second power play goal this season. It's a bonus for him and for us."
Video: Claude Julien's postgame press conference
Who better than Carey Price, then, to talk about his teammate's shot?
"He has a great shot - and, I think, a very underrated shot," shared Price, who made 29 saves in a winning effort. "He got two key ones for us tonight."
Video: Carey Price on Ben Chiarot's performance
With the overtime winner, Chiarot matched his career high of 20 points, which he set last season with the Winnipeg Jets.
Strong night on the backend
Even if Alex Ovechkin managed to get his 699th career goal in the opening frame, the Habs defensive corps did a good job of containing one of the best goal-scorers in the NHL.
It's even more impressive considering the Canadiens had to do without the services of Xavier Ouellet, who left the game after just 1:04 of play with a concussion.
"It's not ideal anytime, especially early in a game like that, but all the guys did a great job. Luke [Richardson] did a great job keeping guys fresh and keeping our rotation going; that keeps the guys fresh," outlined Chiarot. "It was a good job by the five guys going."
Video: Ben Chiarot on his two-goal game
For his part, the head coach appreciated the effort put forth by his team.
"I liked our effort from start to finish. We spoke about the importance of playing 60 minutes and we were able to do it tonight," said Julien.
Numbers game
In the win, Gallagher hit the 20-goal plateau for the fourth time in his career and for a third consecutive season.
Meanwhile, Tomas Tatar earned a helper on Chiarot's first tally of the night to pick up his 34th assist of the season, which is a new career high for the Slovakian forward.
Tatar leads the Canadiens with 21 goals and 55 points in 63 games this season.
Montreal plays its next game on Saturday against the Ottawa Senators at the Canadian Tire Centre.