Canadiens Face Capitals in First Playoff Game Since Stanley Cup Loss

MONTREAL, Canada – The Montreal Canadiens are set to face the Washington Capitals on Monday night, marking their first playoff match since losing the Stanley Cup final to the Tampa Bay Lightning on July 7, 2021.

This playoff matchup is a rematch from 2010, when the Canadiens triumphed over the Capitals in a shocking upset, largely thanks to goaltender Jaroslav Halak’s stellar performance.

The Capitals created a fast and physical style right from the start, putting pressure on Canadiens’ defense, forcing goaltender Samuel Montembeault to quickly test his reflexes. Pierre-Luc Dubois notably taunted Canadiens’ Mike Matheson early in the game, but Montembeault remained vigilant.

At the opposite end, the Canadiens struggled to create offensive threats. When Brendan Gallagher ventured too close to Logan Thompson‘s net, he was met with an unpenalized facecheck from Alexander Alexeyev.

Halfway through the first period, Patrik Laine took a strong shot that was saved by Thompson’s left pad, but Joel Armia failed to capitalize on the rebound. However, the Canadiens did gain a power play opportunity after Laine received a hook from Taylor Raddysh. Unfortunately, their five-on-four attack was not convincing, aside from a solid shot from Nick Suzuki.

After some scrambles around the Montreal net, which resulted in a penalty for Kaiden Guhle, the Capitals didn’t waste their opening. Alexander Ovechkin, the NHL’s all-time leading scorer, fired in the first goal, getting past Montembeault, who had been solid until then, facing 15 shots in the first period.

With just 32 seconds left, Suzuki forced a turnover from Matt Roy at the blue line, leading to a two-on-one with Cole Caufield, but Thompson made a glove save.

As the Canadiens, now under the leadership of head coach Martin St-Louis, prepare for the playoffs, they qualified by beating the Carolina Hurricanes 4-2 in their final regular-season game. The players took a moment to celebrate before shifting gears to focus on the challenge ahead.

“It’s them (the Capitals) who have all the pressure,” said defender David Savard, who plans to retire after this season. “They’ve been at the top of the East for most of the year. For us, it’s about going out there and trying to cause an upset.”

St-Louis emphasized the team’s desire not just to participate but to compete seriously in the playoffs. “You qualify for the playoffs, but you don’t want to be here just to get a participation ribbon,” he stated.

The Canadiens will field the same lineup as their last two regular-season games, with rookie Ivan Demidov expected to play. Samuel Montembeault will again guard the Canadiens’ goal.

On the Capitals’ side, Logan Thompson will start in goal despite missing the last seven games due to an upper-body injury. Defenseman Martin Fehervary is out and will be replaced by Alexander Alexeyev. Aliaksei Protas is also sitting out the first game but could return later in the series.

The projected lineup for the Canadiens includes: Caufield, Suzuki, Slafkovsky; Laine, Newhook, Demidov; Gallagher, Dvorak, Anderson; Heineman, Evans, Armia; and defensemen Matheson, Carrier; Guhle, Hutson; Struble, Savard, with Montembeault and Dobes as goaltenders.

The Capitals’ lineup consists of: Ovechkin, Strome, Beauvillier; McMichael, Dubois, Wilson; Mangiapane, Eller, Leonard; Duhaime, Dowd, Raddysh; along with Chychrun, Carlson; Sandin, Roy; Alexeyev, Van Riemsdyk, with Thompson in goal.