Price bounces back, earns 250th win as Habs down Capitals
WASHINGTON (AP) Carey Price bounced back from getting pulled the night before, making 20 saves as the Montreal Canadiens snapped the Washington Capitals' six-game winning streak with a 2-1 victory Saturday night.
Price returned to his usual, elite form and Artturi Lehkonen and Jeff Petry scored for Montreal. The 2014-15 Vezina Trophy-winning goaltender beat last season's winner, Braden Holtby of the Capitals, who stopped 23 of the 25 shots he faced.
A day after glaring at Michel Therrien after Montreal's coach yanked him for allowing four goals on 18 shots in a lackluster home loss to San Jose, Price made big stops on T.J. Oshie, Marcus Johansson and former teammate Lars Eller. Nicklas Backstrom scored a 5-on-3 power-play goal for the Capitals, who lost for the first time since Dec. 3 and in regulation for the first time since Dec. 1.
The victory marked the 250th of Price's career, putting him in some lofty Canadiens company. He's the fourth goalie to hit the milestone, joining Jacques Plante, Patrick Roy and Ken Dryden.
"It's just another win for me," Price said. "I don't really care a whole bunch about milestones that much."
He still has a ways to go to catch the all-time wins leader Martin Brodeur, who racked up 691 victories, 140 more than Roy. Active leader Roberto Luongo of the Florida Panthers has 446, which places him sixth on the historic list.