In a thrilling matchup in Washington, the Capitals celebrated their first playoff series victory in seven years, defeating the Montreal Canadiens 4-1 in Game 5. The victory, witnessed by a boisterous home crowd, marks the first time the Capitals have clinched a series at home in a decade. The team’s success means they advance to battle the Carolina Hurricanes in the second round of the NHL playoffs, with eyes on the coveted Eastern Conference final spot.
Alex Ovechkin, one of the Capitals’ star players, showcased his prowess with a spectacular goal in a power-play situation, igniting enthusiastic chants of “Ovi! Ovi!” from the fans. Just over two minutes after Ovechkin’s goal, Pierre-Luc Dubois displayed remarkable playmaking by delivering a precise pass to Jakob Chychrun, who converted it into another goal against Canadiens goalie Jakub Dobes. Tom Wilson added another cushion to Washington’s lead with a crucial power-play goal late in the second period.
The Capitals’ exceptional performance was supported by goalie Logan Thompson, who made 28 spectacular saves. The crowd showed their appreciation for Thompson with chants of “LT! LT!” especially during critical moments when the Canadiens presented a scoring threat. Thompson’s impressive saves, particularly against a three-on-one rush and a late attempt by Nick Suzuki, kept the Capitals’ advantage intact. Brandon Duhaime put the final touch on the victory with an empty-net goal with just 25.6 seconds remaining.
Thompson’s resilience in goal was crucial, especially in the opening minutes when Montreal displayed the urgency expected of a team on the brink of elimination. Reflecting on Thompson’s performance, Capitals center Dylan Strome praised his steadfast nature, remarking, “He’s a rock. He was great. He kept us in it and made the big saves when we needed them.”
The Capitals dominated as the higher seed against the Canadiens, a year after facing a tough sweep against the New York Rangers as the underdogs. Montreal, playing without their top goalie Sam Montembeault and key winger Patrik Laine, found some success with Emil Heineman’s goal but eventually ran out of energy. Despite their valiant efforts and an impressive regular season finish to grab the last playoff spot, the Canadiens fell short.
As the team exits the playoffs, coach Martin St. Louis expressed pride in his young squad, stating, “We had a good push in the third, and I think when teams gave us a little bit of space, we were very dangerous. If we introduced ourselves to the rest of the league in this playoffs, especially being the youngest team and stuff, I think we can walk out of here with our heads held high.”
Looking ahead, the Capitals will face the Carolina Hurricanes in the second round of the playoffs, with the two teams meeting for the first time in postseason play since 2019.