Thompson ‘unbelievable’ late, answers call for Capitals in Game 2 win

WASHINGTON -- Logan Thompson had waited for this opportunity and was determined to make the most of it.

So, when the Washington Capitals needed him in the third period of their 3-1 win against the Montreal Canadiens in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference First Round on Wednesday, Thompson was ready to answer the call.

With Washington clinging to a 2-1 lead for most of the period, Thompson stopped all 14 shots he faced to hold the fort until Connor McMichael’s empty-net goal with two seconds remaining. McMichael’s goal, his second of the game, clinched the victory for the Capitals and a 2-0 lead in the best-of-7 series with Game 3 at Montreal on Friday (7 p.m. ET; CBC, TVAS, SN, TNT, truTV, MNMT, MAX).

Thompson, who totaled 25 saves, was the main reason the Canadiens were unable to steal a win Wednesday, though.

“I thought he was unbelievable, especially in the last five minutes,” Capitals center Dylan Strome said. “We were obviously just hanging on there.”

The third period was similar to Game 1 when the Canadiens stormed back from a two-goal deficit to tie it before Alex Ovechkin scored the first Stanley Cup Playoff overtime goal of his career to rescue the Capitals and give them a 3-2 victory. This time, Thompson rescued them.

“I thought he was the difference tonight in the third,” Capitals coach Spencer Carbery said. “He wins us that game in the third period.”

Montreal outshot Washington 14-5 in the third period and had a 35-16 advantage in shot attempts. Some of Thompson’s saves were spectacular, such as a glove stop on Josh Anderson on a 2-on-0 at 9:01 and a left skate save on Christian Dvorak’s deflection at 15:38.

Thompson also had some luck on his side, particularly on Jake Evans’ shot that went off the left post at 7:10. After taking a pass across from Joel Armia, Evans appeared to have a half-empty net in front of him from the left side, but with Thompson diving over in desperation, his shot hit the post.

“I think I almost knocked it in,” Thompson said. “Those are the plays I'll take any day of the week when they're not going in the back of the net.”

Thomspon’s heroics came exactly three weeks after he left Washington’s 5-1 loss at the Carolina Hurricanes on April 2 with an upper-body injury. Even after Thompson returned to practice on Saturday, it was unclear whether he’d start Game 1 against the Canadiens on Monday until he led the Capitals out for the start of warmups.

Including his 33 saves in Game 1, Thompson has stopped 58 of 61 shots in the first two games of the series for a 1.47 goals-against average and .951 save percentage.

“These games, this is where he wants to play,” Carbery said. “He wanted to play in the playoffs. He said: 'I'm ready to go. I want to be in the net in Game 1.' No disrespect to (backup) Charlie Lindgren. He wants these moments, and that's an important part of it.”

Thompson has always hungered to shine in big moments like this. An undrafted free agent who signed with the Vegas Golden Knights in 2020, he didn’t get to play in the playoffs when they won the Cup in 2023 because he was injured. The 28-year-old started Vegas’ first four games in the first round against the Dallas Stars last season and was 2-2 with 2.35 GAA and .921 save percentage before Adin Hill took over for the remainder of the series.

After the Golden Knights lost that series in seven games, Thompson expressed a desire to play more regularly and was traded to the Capitals on June 29, 2024. He responded by going 31-6-6 with a 2.49 GAA, .910 save percentage and two shutouts during the regular season, and signed a six-year, $35.1 million contract ($5.85 million average annual value) on Jan. 27, passing on an opportunity to become an unrestricted free agent this offseason.

But Thompson still longed to prove himself in the playoffs.

“I got a taste of it last year,” he said. “It didn't end the way I wanted it to. To get another chance at it, I'm hungry and thankful for this opportunity. Like I said all year, just thankful to the Washington Capitals to take me in and let me play."

Having the chance to shine on the postseason stage drove Thompson as he worked to get back from his injury. He knew he had to be ready when his moment came. He had only two full practices to get back up to speed before the puck dropped Monday.

“I knew I wasn't going to get a game before playoffs,” Thompson said. “Just staying ready in practice, working as hard as I can and just waiting to see if I get my name called. It did. It's playoffs. It's not the start of the year. You can't take your time to get into it. You just have to hit it sprinting.

“That's kind of what I've done, and it's worked out."

The Capitals are glad it did.

Without Thompson, the series could easily be tied with Montreal having a chance to take control in the next two games at home. Instead, Washington is two wins away from winning its first playoff series since it won the Stanely Cup in 2018.

“It's a whole different story to go out and execute in the most pressure-packed, most important time of the year, and that's exactly what he's done in these first two games,” Carbery said. “So, credit to him [after] the time off and being able to jump right back into and play your best hockey. … The guy's a gamer, man.”