MONTREAL — Logan Thompson made a seemingly miraculous return for the Washington Capitals on Sunday night at Bell Centre. After leaving Friday’s Game 3 in the third period hobbled by a collision with teammate Dylan Strome, Thompson started Game 4 against the Montreal Canadiens.

Thompson made 16 saves on 18 shots to backstop the Capitals to a 5-2 bounce-back victory that put the Canadiens on the brink of elimination. Winger Andrew Mangiapane scored the winner with 3:37 to play. Game 5 is Wednesday night at Capital One Arena.

When Thompson went down the tunnel Friday, it was with a heavy dose of assistance from assistant athletic trainer Murphy Luatua, who wrapped his arm around Thompson to support him as he shakily left the ice. There were 6 minutes 37 seconds left in the third period, but the remaining minutes of the loss were of little concern to the Capitals as it appeared Thompson’s series might be over.

Then, on Sunday morning, nearly 36 hours to the minute after he left Game 3, Thompson emerged from the tunnel for Washington’s pregame skate. The sight was unexpected; fans on social media wrote “he is risen” in response to videos of Thompson’s appearance, invoking a biblical tone to the goaltender’s return.

“[Thompson] is a big part of our team that’s been great in this series,” Coach Spencer Carbery said Sunday morning. “Was happy that it wasn’t anything significant that would keep him out for an extended period of time. That was positive to see.”

It still came as a surprise when Thompson led Washington onto the ice for warmups Sunday night. The Montreal crowd’s jeers of “Thompson! Thompson! Thompson!” in the game’s early minutes felt less like a taunt and more like shock that he was between the pipes.

Thompson had to make just five stops in the first period, but a post-to-post reaction save he made to rob Nick Suzuki with 4:40 left showed he was feeling fine. Washington didn’t do much to test Canadiens netminder Jakub Dobes (21 saves) in the first period, either, putting only six shots on goal despite having two power plays to Montreal’s one.

Just 1:25 into the second period, Strome scored his second goal of the series. He finished an individual effort from winger Anthony Beauvillier, who worked hard to get space across the blue line and fired a shot that fell as a rebound for Strome to collect and score on his backhand.

The Capitals were handed a golden opportunity to get a stranglehold on the game when Christian Dvorak high-sticked center Pierre-Luc Dubois at 4:54. Late in Dvorak’s penalty, Joel Armia hooked winger Tom Wilson as he made a move in front of Dobes, extending the power play for Washington and giving the visitors 44 seconds at five-on-three.

Dobes made one standout save, sliding across his crease to stone defenseman John Carlson at the back post, but that was the biggest stop he had to make as Montreal killed the penalties. Then center Nic Dowd was boxed for interfering with Suzuki at 9:16, and the Canadiens were back in it.

It had grown quiet inside Bell Centre as the home crowd watched with increasing trepidation. But the combination of the extended penalty kill and a power play for the Canadiens brought the decibel level back up toward its peak. When Ivan Demidov worked his way behind the net and set up Juraj Slafkovsky at the bottom of the left circle for the equalizer at 10:33, the inferno returned.

Both teams’ coaches have spent days talking about the importance of momentum, grabbing it and keeping it and losing it. In that six-minute span of the middle period, from Dvorak’s penalty to Slafkovsky’s goal, Montreal won the momentum battle.

Wilson drew a roughing penalty against Josh Anderson, his dance partner from the scrap in Washington’s bench during Game 3, with 3:55 left in the period. Dobes made a dramatic glove save on forward Connor McMichael, who tried to slot home a loose puck off the end boards, and the power play was cut short with three seconds left when captain Alex Ovechkin laid a heavy hit on Jake Evans at the blue line.

The Capitals had swung momentum in their favor after Slafkovsky scored, but another failed man advantage led directly into another power-play goal for the Canadiens. Just 30 seconds into Ovechkin’s penalty, Cole Caufield fired a one-timer from the left circle that sneaked between Thompson and the near post.

Montreal had just four shots on goal in the second period, but two of them found the net. Washington’s missed opportunities loomed large as it faced a one-goal deficit at the second intermission.

Carlson slashed Dvorak’s stick out of his hands just 37 seconds into the third period. The Capitals managed to kill the penalty, but the Canadiens continued to carry the momentum. A bone-crunching hit by Wilson on Alexandre Carrier in the neutral zone helped Washington win the puck back, shifting the momentum for just long enough. Off a stretch pass from defenseman Jakob Chychrun, winger Brandon Duhaime tracked the puck into the offensive zone and chipped his own rebound past Dobes, tying the score 6:39 into the final frame.

The teams traded rushes, each looking for a winner in regulation. The Capitals found it with 3:37 left: Mangiapane came across the blue line and took a pass from Strome. As he curled into the high slot, Mangiapane fired a wrist shot over Dobes’s glove, setting Washington up to take a 3-1 series lead. Bell Centre went quiet, perhaps for the last time this season.

Montreal pulled Dobes for an extra attacker with 2:47 to play, and Duhaime hit the empty net just eight seconds later. Wilson added a second empty-net goal with 54 seconds left, sending the series back to Washington with the Capitals in command.

This story will be updated.