The Washington Capitals’ second season starts Monday night, and they aren’t just looking to build off of their first division title in five years but also trying to win their first playoff series since they captured the Stanley Cup in 2018. Here are five things to focus on regarding the Caps’ First Round series against the Montreal Canadiens:
1. How they got here
The Capitals went 51-22-9 during the regular season, winning the Metropolitan Division title by 12 points over Carolina. They ranked second in the NHL in scoring, eighth in goals allowed, 13th on the power play and fifth on the penalty kill.
The Canadiens (40-31-11) secured the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference in the final days of the regular season (not completely unlike the Caps last year) and ranked 17th in scoring, 22nd in goals allowed, 21st on the power play, and ninth on the penalty kill.
2. Regular season series:
Washington went 2-0-1 while outscoring Montreal 12-8 in their regular season series. On Halloween night, they beat the Canadiens in D.C. 6-3 while they won the Dec. 7 matchup 4-2 in Montreal. The Caps lost to the Habs 3-2 in overtime at home on Jan. 10. Tom Wilson scored three goals in the three games, while Aliaksei Protas had a goal and three assists. Alex Ovechkin posted one of his 44 goals this season against Montreal.
The Canadiens were led in the regular season series by Cole Caufield (three goals and three assists).
3. Fantastic and furious finishes:
While Montreal wrapped up the season by winning seven of their final 10 games (outscoring opponents 29-21), the Caps ended the regular season by losing eight of 12, getting outscored 51-31 in the process.
Last year, Washington won four of their last five regular season games, only to get swept out of the First Round. Conversely, last year’s Stanley Cup winner Florida posted a 5-2-1 mark in April.
4. Players to watch … and miss:
While Cole Caufield led the Canadiens with 37 goals, Nick Suzuki powers their offense’s engine. The center scored seven of his 30 goals in April, while his 59 assists and 89 points represent career highs. He scored twice against the Capitals during the regular season.
Rookie defenseman Lane Hutson led the team with 60 assists (25 coming on the power play). Goaltender Sam Montembeault posted a 2.82 goals against average (2.12 in April) while making 60 starts and was in net for the Dec. 7 meeting with the Caps.
For Washington, it’s about three players we haven’t seen on the ice lately: Forward Aliaksei Protas, defenseman Martin Fehérváry, and goaltender Logan Thompson all missed time in April with injuries. Their availability and effectiveness are key to an extended cup run. Could their absence cost the Capitals in round one?
5. History:
These two teams have met in the playoffs once before, in 2010 when the Presidents’ Trophy-winning high-flying team of Bruce Boudreau blew three games to one lead against the eighth-seeded Canadiens. Alex Ovechkin led the Caps with five assists and five points in that series, while he and Nicklas Bäckström each scored five goals to pace the club. John Carlson as a rookie tallied a goal and three assists, almost equaling his goal and five assists during 22 regular season games that winter.
Both teams have taken their postseason lumps lately, and while it’s been documented that the Capitals haven’t won a playoff series since lifting the Stanley Cup in 2018, the Canadiens last won a series in 2021 during the COVID-realigned season that placed all the Canadian clubs together. Beyond that, Montreal last won a series in 2015.
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