QUEBEC -- The Montreal Canadiens were seeking chemistry as they faced Alexander Ovechkin and the Stanley Cup champion Washington Capitals at the Videotron Centre in Quebec Thursday night.
The Canadiens got a winning spark from dependable forward Brendan Gallagher and his new linemate Tomas Tatar to earn a 5-2 victory against Washington.
"I enjoy playing with him. He and Phil (Danault) work really hard. It's a fun line to be on, getting to know each other," said Gallagher.
The line contributed five points, including a goal and an assist from Gallagher. Tatar, who was named first star, had kind words for his new linemate.
"He battles hard," said Tatar, who was acquired in the off-season from the Vegas Golden Knights for Max Pacioretty. "That's part of his game. I think we're building some chemistry out there."
Gallagher, known for his pugnacious game, was forgiving of another new Habs acquisition, Max Domi. The former Arizona Coyote was suspended for the rest of the pre-season for a sucker punch on Florida defenceman Aaron Ekblad in Wednesday's game in Montreal.
"He's going to be a big part of our team going forward. He's an emotional player. We need him to play like that. It's not going to change a thing."
Thursday's game included local young rising star Alexandre Alain. The Quebec City native picked up an assist on a goal by Jacob de la Rose in the first period. If the 21-year-old doesn't make the cut with the Habs he'll join the team's AHL farm club in Laval.
The Canadiens iced a line-up with a defence that boasted about 80 NHL games last year. The Caps brought several of the stars that shone in the Cup run, including Evgeny Kuznetsov, though he was kept off the scoreboard.
The Caps struggled in the first half of the game, not registering a shot-on-goal until the 16th minute of the opening frame. Later they put pressure on Habs goalie Charlie Lindgren, who ended up facing only 13 shots from the Caps.
Washington split goaltending duties between Pheonix Copley, who allowed four goals on 24 shots, and Vitek Vanecek, who stopped four but let in one.
Ovechkin made his pre-season debut, and apparently having shaken off the Cup-winning euphoria, returned to his office, scoring a second-period power-play goal with a sizzling shot from the right circle.
Young Habs centre Michael Chaput had a shining moment in the first period, as he capitalized on a pass from Joel Ward on a turnover at the blue line and beat Copley. Chaput was one of five Quebec-born players the Habs iced for the game in the provincial capital. Ward, a former Capital, is on a professional try-out contract with Montreal.
The Habs pre-season continues Saturday against the Senators in Ottawa.
Attendance at the game was 11,296.
