Capitals set for Hurricanes clash after eliminating Canadiens

The Montreal Canadiens had their season on the line in Game 5 on Wednesday night. Montreal needed a win over the Washington Capitals to force a Game 6 back in the heart of Francophone Canada. Unfortunately for them, they did not get this win in Game 5.

The Capitals have defeated the Canadiens on Wednesday night. Future Hall of Famer Alex Ovechkin opened the scoring for Washington in the deciding fifth game. Goals from Jakob Chychrun and Tom Wilson helped seal the deal, as well. Montreal put up a fight over these five games, but their 2024-25 season comes to an end.

The Capitals are set to take on the Carolina Hurricanes in the second round. Carolina also had their first-round series go to five games. The Hurricanes defeated the New Jersey Devils to advance to round two for the fifth consecutive year.

The Capitals have lifted the Stanley Cup somewhat recently. Washington’s one and only championship came in 2018. They defeated the inaugural Vegas Golden Knights in five games that season. Since then, though, the team has failed to reach those heights.

In fact, things got a bit shaky for this team following that title. Washington suffered four straight first-round exits in the postseason after that. Then, the Capitals missed the Stanley Cup Playoffs entirely in 2023. They returned in 2024, but ended their season as the only postseason club to be swept in the 2024 playoffs.

The Capitals spent this past summer rebuilding their roster. Washington specifically focused on adding to its offensive might. The team boasted one of the worst offenses in the NHL during the 2023-24 season. And the unit did not catch fire in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Those changes have paid off in spades so far. The Capitals ended the season as one of the NHL’s best teams. This was spurred on by one of the league’s more elite offenses. Now, the team is off to the second round for the first time since 2018.