Connor McMichael and Dylan Strome scored a minute apart early in the second period, Logan Thompson made some spectacular stops among his 25 saves and the Washington Capitals beat the Montreal Canadiens 3-1 on Wednesday night to take a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven first-round series.

Montreal took an early 1-0 lead in the second period on a goal from Christian Dvorak, but the Capitals responded quickly with two goals in a span of 60 seconds. A late empty-net goal by Capitals' Connor McMichael sealed the win for Washington, who also took Game 1 on a historic overtime goal by Alex Ovechkin.

WASHINGTON -- Connor McMichael scored two goals, and the Washington Capitals extended their lead in the Eastern Conference First Round with a 3-1 win against the Montreal Canadiens in Game 2 at Capital One Arena on Wednesday.