Canadiens complete shock victory

WASHINGTON - Hunched over, head bowed, his stick resting across his knees, Alex Ovechkin skated alone down the ice, stung by yet another Game 7 loss by his Washington Capitals.

At the other end of the rink stood Montreal Canadiens goalie Jaroslav Halak, his arms raised in triumph, his teammates pounding him on the helmet, on the back, everywhere.

With Halak making 41 saves in his latest spectacular, acrobatic performance, and his teammates combining to block a whopping 41 shots, eighth-seeded Montreal held on to beat Washington 2-1 on Wednesday night, stunning the Presidents' Trophy winners by reeling off three consecutive victories to take the first-round series.