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.

Christian Dvorak broke a tie at 4:17 of the third period and the Montreal Canadiens beat the Washington Capitals 6-3 on Friday night to cut their deficit in the first-round series to 2-1. Dvorak fired shot from the far left side that hit Washington forward Brandon Duhaime and deflected past goalie Logan Thompson.

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.