Canadiens vs. Capitals, official Game 1 preview
Photo credit: Montreal Hockey Now
It's the best time of the year for hockey fans and the Stanley Cup Playoffs are finally among us.
The Washington Capitals and Montreal Canadiens are set to face each other in the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time since 2010.
Tom Gulitti from NHL.com reports that Logan Thompson looks set to start in goal for the Capitals. Thompson, who hasn't played since suffering an upper-body injury against the Carolina Hurricanes on April 2, was the first goalie off the ice after Washington's morning skate, indicating that he's the starting netminder for tonight.
Thompson hit the 30-win mark for the first time in his five-year NHL career, finishing the season with a 31-6-6 record, a 2.49 goals-against average, a .910 save percentage, and two shutouts in 43 games, including 42 starts.
Here's the projected lineup for the Capitals...
Alex Ovechkin -- Dylan Strome -- Anthony Beauvillier
Alex Alexeyev -- Trevor van Riemsdyk
Here's what Capitals' forward Pierre-Luc Dubois had to say ahead of Monday night's game.
«They got in because they deserve it. They're a good team. They've got some good players. They've got some exciting players [with] skill and they've got that youthfulness to them, so it's going to be challenging. We have to concentrate on what we have to do. After that, we'll control what we can.» -Pierre-Luc Dubois
Sam Montembeault is set to make his first NHL playoff start for Montreal. The 28-year-old reached a personal milestone this season, recording over 30 wins for the first time in his six-year NHL career. He posted a 31-24-7 record with a 2.82 goals-against average, a .902 save percentage, and four shutouts across a career-high 62 regular-season games, including 60 starts.
«After eight years, it's about time I get to play some playoff hockey. But I'm really excited being able to do it with this team.» -Montembeault
Forward Aliaksei Protas (skate cut on his left foot) and defenseman Martin Fehervary (lower-body injury) are both expected to miss Game 1. On the other hand, the Canadiens will have a healthy lineup on Monday night.
Mike Matheson -- Alexandre Carrier
Sam Montembeault
Jakub Dobes
Jakub Dobes
Despite finishing as the top seed in the Eastern Conference with a 51-22-9 record, Washington hasn't won a playoff series since capturing the Stanley Cup in 2018. Montreal, meanwhile, secured its first postseason berth since falling to the Tampa Bay Lightning in the 2021 Stanley Cup Final, going 7-1-2 in its final 10 games to claim the East's second wild card spot.
| POLL | ||
AVRIL 21 | 30 ANSWERS Canadiens vs. Capitals, official Game 1 preview Who will win Game 1 between the Capitals and Canadiens? | ||
| Capitals | 29 | 96.7 % |
| Canadiens | 1 | 3.3 % |
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