WASHINGTON — 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 in Game 2 to take a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven first-round series.

In Colorado, the Dallas Stars took a 2-1 series lead over the Avalanche behind a 2-1 win, thanks to a rugged defensive performance.

Alex Ovechkin scored the first playoff overtime goal of his NHL career to give the Washington Capitals a 3-2 victory against the Montreal Canadiens in Game 1 of their first-round playoff series Monday night.