WASHINGTON -- The highlight-reel, diving save that it looked like Logan Thompson made to rob Jake Evans was not actually a save at all, and he wants to make sure everyone knows that.

"I didn't save it," Thompson said. "It went off the post. I think I almost knocked it in."

Sure, Thompson and the Washington Capitals got a little lucky on that one. But his goaltending in the third period, when he made some spectacular stops, is the biggest reason they lead the Montreal Canadiens two games to none in their first-round playoff series.

"He was the difference tonight in the third: He wins us that game in the third period," coach Spencer Carbery said after a 3-1 victory in Game 2, after which Thompson was selected the first star. "You could feel the building with the energy with each save. It felt like he just got bigger and bigger and bigger. He was tested. He made some huge saves in that third period to keep us in front."

The Canadiens had multiple opportunities to tie the score, trailing 2-1 and pressing Thompson.

They got a 2-on-0 rush with 11 minutes left, but Thompson stopped Josh Anderson. With 4:22 on the clock, he got his stick in front of a textbook deflection by Christian Dvorak, who beat him earlier for a goal. And on the next shift, he denied Juraj Slafkovsky.

Fans rose to their feet to give Thompson a standing ovation and chanted "LT! LT!" after each of the saves.

"Extraordinary," rookie Ryan Leonard said. "A lot of trust back there with that guy. He's a gamer."

Making it an even better tale is this was just Thompson's second game back after getting injured when a shot dislodged his mask April 2 at Carolina.

"I knew I wasn't going to get a game before playoffs," Thompson said. "Just staying ready in practice, working as hard as I can and just waiting to see if I get my name called. It did. It's playoffs. It's not the start of the year: You can't take your time to get into it. You just have to hit it sprinting. That's kind of what I've done, and it's worked out."

Thompson and Charlie Lindgren alternated starts for the first half of the season. Then it became evident Thompson was Washington's No. 1 netminder, something solidified when he got a six-year, $35.1 million extension in late January and Lindgren signed for three years and $9 million in early March.

Lindgren shouldered the load down the stretch, a year after carrying the Capitals into the playoffs, but there was no doubt about Carbery and goaltending coach Scott Murray going to Thompson to start the series as long as the 28-year-old was healthy.

"These games, this is where he wants to play," Carbery said. "He wanted to play in the playoffs. He said: 'I'm ready to go. I want to be in the net in Game 1.' No disrespect to Charlie Lindgren. He wants these moments, and that's an important part of it."

Thompson made an important save early in the second period to keep his team's deficit at one goal. He was at his best in the third, making 14 of his 25 saves to keep Montreal from evening things up.

"We knew they were going to come out in the third just like they did last game, Thompson said. "It's easy to get into it when you make those saves. You're definitely right back in the game. It could easily swing the other way if a couple of those go in and you're fighting it, right? Luckily things went my way."