WSH@MTL: Game recap

MONTREAL -- The Canadiens triumphed 6-2 against the Washington Capitals at the Bell Centre on Thursday.

In honor of Pride Night presented by Scotiabank, Habs players sported special warmup jerseys designed by artist Amelie Lehoux and used sticks with Pride Tape. These items, along with locker room nameplates, will be auctioned off until April 12 on pride.bidandraise.com. All profits from this initiative will go to You Can Play and GRIS-Montréal.

Jordan Harris and Georges Laraque also met Lehoux to talk about the beautiful jerseys and thank her for her contribution to the night.

Quebec actress and proud member of the 2SLGBTQIA+ community Debbie Lynch-White performed the national anthems prior to puck drop.

Samuel Montembeault started for Montreal, while Darcy Kuemper got the nod between the pipes for Washington.
The Capitals got on the board first with a goal from Dylan Strome only 5:30 into the game.
After 20 minutes of play, the visitors returned to the locker room up 1-0 but were outshot 13 to 6.
The Canadiens took over the scoring in the second period.
First, Nick Suzuki tied the game with a slick deke on a breakaway. Joel Edmundson and Mike Matheson earned assists on the shorthanded marker. The captain established a new career high for points.

Next, Joel Armia gave the home side the lead with a goal on the penalty kill. Matheson, who set a new career high in points, and Jake Evans were credited with helpers.

Less than two minutes later, Jonathan Drouin setup Brendan Gallagher to make it 3-2 for the Habs.

A little past the halfway mark of the game, Armia scored his second of the night. The Finn received a pass from No. 8 and unleashed a slapper for his sixth goal of the campaign. Suzuki tallied the secondary assist.

The Habs were up 4-1 after 40 minutes of play and led 25 to 14 in shots on goal.
In the third period, Peter Laviolette called a timeout which gave his squad enough momentum to cut into Montreal's lead with a marker from Nicklas Backstrom.
That goal didn't faze the Habs though, as Armia went on to complete his second career hat trick. Rafael Harvey-Pinard, who returned to the lineup after missing two games, got an assist.

With 17.7 seconds left in the game, Mike Hoffman accepted a nice pass from Evans to help the Habs capture a 6-2 victory.

Montembeault made 24 saves.
The Canadiens are back in action on Saturday when they visit the Toronto Maple Leafs at Scotiabank Arena at 7:00 p.m. ET.