The Washington Capitals have finally won a playoff series since they took home the Stanley Cup in 2018. The Caps sent the Canadiens packing with a 4-1 victory on home ice and move on to play the Carolina Hurricanes in the second round.
Jaroslav Halak demons begone. Now, it’s time to rewrite that 2019 series against the Canes.
- The Capitals had this game won through 40 minutes. They created nine five-on-five high-danger chances in the first two periods and only allowed three. It certainly felt like the Habs dropped their heads after the Caps went up 2-0 early, and they never really recovered. The lone goal they scored was a lucky bounce, and their push in the third period wasn’t as sustained as it was early in the series. Au revoir, Montreal.
- Alex Ovechkin opened the scoring with his fourth goal in the series. I was watching Adam Wylde watch the game on sdpn’s YouTube, and he made sure to mention that 39-year-old Ovi has more goals combined than Toronto’s Auston Matthews (1), Mitch Marner (1), and William Nylander (1). Thank you, Adam. Ovechkin’s goal was also his 76th career playoff goal, tying Mario Lemieux for 12th on the all-time list.
- Dylan Strome recorded another two points, assisting on Ovechkin’s goal and Tom Wilson’s later goal. Strome now has nine points (2g, 7a) in five playoff games, which is tied for the second most in the league. The only players ahead of him, Connor McDavid (10), Leon Draisaitl (10), and Adrian Kempe (10), are all involved in the insane Oilers-Kings series.
- Logan Thompson had another fantastic game, making 28 stops on 29 shots faced. Per MoneyPuck, he saved 2.99 more goals than expected. An elite start and a tremendous series from a guy who scared the ever-living mess out of us during Game 3.
- Aliaksei Protas played 16:45 of ice time in his return to the lineup. Protas didn’t record a shot on goal and definitely looked a little behind the pace, but settled in more as the game went on. He’s going to be huge in the next round.
- The Capitals have never beaten the Hurricanes in a playoff series, losing their lone attempt in 2019. The Caps had also never beaten the Habs in a playoff series until this year. These things are meant to be changed. Go get it.
Numbers thanks to Hockey-Reference, NaturalStatTrick, and HockeyStatCards.
