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Dylan Strome Praises Tom Wilson's Most Controversial Play of Capitals/Canadiens Series in Post-Game Interview
David Kirouac-Imagn Images

After a Game 3 win for Montreal, their series against Washington was up in the air, but now Dylan Strome has revealed what turned the tide in their series.

The Montreal Canadiens put up an impressive fight for a young team against the Washington Capitals, but after five games, the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference rolled through the young team, winning the series 4-1 on Wednesday night.

While that scoreline may make it look like a dominant series from the Capitals, the Canadiens made it very tough on them, and while there was plenty of controversy, it worked in Washington's favour.

According to Capitals star Dylan Strome, the much talked about hit from Tom Wilson in Game 4 is what turned the tide of this series in their favour, and after winning in five games, it's safe to say that it could have won them the series.

"Tom lays a huge hit. We're down 2-1 in Montreal, up 2-1 in the series, so that series can kind of go either way at that point. Tom makes a huge hit. We score right after. We have all the momentum. Get one late and find a way to win it at home. So I would say that was a big part of it."

With nine points in the first round, Strome built on a career best regular season in 2024/25, and unsurprisingly given how well this team has played, he has much higher aspirations than simply winning one round.

"I feel like this group, obviously, has big aspirations, and we've proven that we're a great team all year. We've got to keep proving it."

Ultimately, beating a young Canadiens team in their first Stanley Cup Playoffs appearance as a group together is what this Washington team should have done, and with the Carolina Hurricanes awaiting them in round two, things are about to get much tougher, with this team needing more huge plays from Wilson moving forward.

This article first appeared on Blade of Steel and was syndicated with permission.

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