Habs coach praises the Capitals ahead of Stanley Cup Playoffs

Here's what St. Louis had to say when asked about his team's odds against the Capitals.

The Washington Capitals concluded the 2024-25 NHL regular season as the top team in the Eastern Conference, finishing with a record of 51 wins, 22 losses, and 9 overtime losses, totaling 111 points. They secured the Metropolitan Division title on April 8 and clinched the No. 1 seed in the East on April 11.

This strong performance positions them as a leading contender heading into the playoffs, where they will face the Montreal Canadiens in the first round as the heavy favorites.

In contrast to the Capitals, who secured their playoff spot weeks in advance, the Canadiens had to battle until the very last game of their regular season. They clinched a postseason berth for the first time since 2021 with a crucial 4-2 win over the Carolina Hurricanes on Wednesday, just one day before the NHL regular season wrapped up.

They'll enter the playoffs with strong momentum, having posted a 14-5-6 record since returning from the 4 Nations Face-Off break on February 22. At that point, they were six points out of a playoff spot but managed to leapfrog five teams to secure a berth.

Despite being the clear underdogs in this series, St. Louis isn't worried going into this matchup.

Game 1 is set for Monday night at the Capital One Arena in Washington.