WASHINGTON (Interstat) — Alex Tuch scored twice and added an assist and the Washington Capitals beat the Montreal Canadiens 5-4 on Wednesday at Capital One Arena. Charlie Lindgren made 25 saves for Washington, which snapped a two-game losing streak. The Capitals improved to 4-3. Montreal dropped to 3-4. The announced attendance was 16,719. It was a National Hockey League game.

Montreal struck first at 4:29 of the opening period when Josh Anderson scored on a wrist shot from Alex Newhook. Washington answered less than four minutes later when Jordan Kyrou scored from Cole Hutson and Tuch. The Canadiens regained the lead at 11:15 when Lane Hutson scored on a wrist shot from Zachary Bolduc and Noah Dobson. Washington tied it again at 19:34 when Ivan Miroshnichenko scored from Ilya Protas and Kyrou. The first period included hits from Chris Kreider on Timothy Liljegren, Alex Tuch on Kaiden Guhle, Cole Hutson on Alexandre Carrier, Tom Wilson on Juraj Slafkovský, and Kirby Dach on Vincent Desharnais. Montreal’s Lane Hutson had a shot blocked by Miroshnichenko and later by Ilya Protas. Washington’s Alex Tuch had a tip-in go wide. Nick Suzuki had a wrist shot saved by Lindgren. Dylan Strome won several faceoffs, and Justin Sourdif also won draws. Alexandre Carrier was called for tripping against Aliaksei Protas, while Vincent Desharnais received a roughing penalty against Juraj Slafkovský. Lane Hutson was later penalized for holding against Ryan Leonard. The period ended with the teams tied.

In the second period, Tuch gave Washington its first lead with an unassisted slap shot. Montreal pushed back and tied the game when Anderson scored his second of the night from Newhook. The Canadiens had chances from Suzuki and Cole Caufield, but Washington blocked several shots. Martin Fehervary blocked attempts by Caufield and Suzuki. Lindgren stopped a tip-in attempt by Zachary Bolduc and a wrist shot from Lane Hutson. Washington’s Kyrou and Tuch continued to generate offense. Ilya Protas won faceoffs and delivered a hit. The period also included penalties to Josh Anderson for holding and Justin Sourdif for tripping. Montreal’s Alexandre Carrier and Washington’s Ivan Miroshnichenko and Kaiden Guhle were involved in roughing calls. Cole Caufield was called for interference against Boone Jenner. Washington’s Aliaksei Protas had a wrist shot saved by Jakub Dobes, and Cole Hutson also had a wrist shot saved by Dobes. The teams entered the third period tied.

Washington regained the lead in the third period when Justin Holl scored from Ilya Protas and Alex Ovechkin. Tuch then scored his second goal of the game on an unassisted wrist shot, giving the Capitals a two-goal advantage. Montreal answered when Nick Suzuki scored from Lane Hutson to make it a one-goal game. The Canadiens pressed for the equalizer. Suzuki won faceoffs, and Juraj Slafkovský put shots on net. Alex Newhook had a backhand saved by Lindgren, and Montreal pulled Jakub Dobes for an extra attacker. Washington’s Tom Wilson and Ryan Leonard had scoring chances, while Noah Dobson and Lane Hutson blocked shots. Dylan Strome was called for slashing against Caufield late. The Capitals held on as Lindgren made key saves.

Tuch, listed at 6-foot-4 and 215 pounds, led Washington with two goals, one assist, and three shots on goal. Kyrou had a goal, an assist, and three shots. Holl and Miroshnichenko also scored. Ilya Protas recorded two assists, one shot, and two hits. Miroshnichenko had one goal, one shot, two penalty minutes, and one hit. Lindgren stopped 25 of 29 shots for the win. Ovechkin assisted on Holl’s goal. Cole Hutson assisted on Kyrou’s goal. Dylan Strome was strong in the faceoff circle. Justin Sourdif and Boone Jenner also won key draws.

For Montreal, Anderson scored twice and finished with three shots and two penalty minutes. Lane Hutson had a goal, an assist, three shots, two penalty minutes, and one hit. Newhook added two assists, three shots, and one hit. Suzuki scored once and put three shots on net. Dobson contributed an assist, four shots, and four hits. Bolduc assisted on Lane Hutson’s goal. The Canadiens received penalties from Carrier, Lane Hutson, Caufield, Anderson, and Guhle. They blocked shots from Alex Ovechkin, Jakob Chychrun, and Cole Hutson. Dobes made several saves, including stops on Lane Hutson, Noah Dobson, and Phillip Danault.

Montreal entered after a shootout win over Buffalo and a shootout win over Detroit. The Canadiens had also lost to Nashville, Carolina, and Pittsburgh in overtime, and beaten Toronto. Washington had lost to Carolina and Seattle before this game. The Capitals had beaten the New York Rangers and Pittsburgh. The Capitals’ victory moved them to 4-3. Montreal fell to 3-4. Washington next hosts New Jersey, while Montreal next hosts Buffalo.

The game featured several momentum swings. Montreal blocked shots and forced turnovers early. Washington used faceoff wins from Dylan Strome, Justin Sourdif, and Ilya Protas to generate possession. The Capitals’ forecheck created chances for Tuch and Kyrou. Montreal’s top line of Suzuki, Cole Caufield, and Juraj Slafkovský pressured Washington late. Arber Xhekaj delivered a hit on Ryan Leonard. Tom Wilson was active for Washington with several shots and hits. Martin Fehervary blocked shots. Washington’s defense blocked shots from Adam Engstrom, Alexandre Carrier, Kaiden Guhle, and Cole Hutson. Montreal’s defense blocked attempts from Alex Tuch, Jordan Kyrou, Dylan Strome, and Anthony Beauvillier. The Canadiens pulled Dobes late for an extra attacker, but Washington held on.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of Washington 4, Montreal 2. Interstat’s ELO system gave Washington a 51.2 percent probability to win. Washington was installed as a pregame favorite with a spread of minus 1.5. The total score of 9 went under the over/under line of 6.5.