Montreal Canadiens Playoff Positives To Build On Vs. Washington

The Montreal Canadiens dropped the first game of their series versus the Washington Capitals, and while some may consider Monday’s game to be a failure, there are a few positives the team can build upon as they prepare for the next match-up.

History On Their Side

Generally speaking, winning the first game will lead to a relatively easy series win, but that has not been the case for the Capitals throughout their history.

There’s limited value in discussing teams from yesteryears, however, it should be noted that Washington has only managed to win eight of the 27 playoff series in which they won the initial game. They also have a very mediocre record when winning the first two games of a series, to the tune of 4-6.

This sounds insane, but the Washington Capitals actually have a losing record when they go up 1-0 in a series.

Even at home, they have won Game 1 17 times… they have won only five of those series…

It’s one of the most random things I’ve ever seen. pic.twitter.com/hQdNM8SSLx

— Jared Book (@jaredbook) April 22, 2025

Top Line Matchup

The Capitals ran the show in the first period, but roughly 20 minutes later, the momentum was firmly in Montreal’s corner thanks in part to the great play from the team’s top line.

As we discussed prior to the series starting, the Nick Suzuki vs. Pierre-Luc Dubois matchup will be a significant factor.

The Canadiens lack depth, which makes shutting down their best players a little easier. Capitals head coach Spencer Carbery quickly identified Suzuki, Cole Caufield, and Juraj Slafkovsky as the biggest threat prior to the start of the series, which is why Dubois, Connor McMichael, and Tom Wilson jumped on the ice as soon as Montreal’s first line was given a shift.

The Capitals shutdown line is one of the best in hockey from a statistical standpoint, which is why fans should be encouraged that Suzuki and Co. controlled almost 78 percent of the shots, 75 percent of the high-danger chances, and 78 percent of the expected goals on Monday night.

Those aren’t just good numbers, they’re borderline dominant when we consider who they were facing. The line also generated five of the seven high-quality chances Montreal had at 5v5.

On repeat: Big goals. Big moments. It’s what Nick Suzuki does.

It’s a tie game thanks to the captain. #GoHabsGo pic.twitter.com/QlXYFlCk4d

— Marc Dumont (@MarcPDumont) April 22, 2025

Goaltending Performance

As per usual, it took the Habs at least 20 minutes to get going, putting an extreme amount of pressure on starter Samuel Montembeault in the process.

In total, the Capitals enjoyed 14 high-danger scoring chances at 5v5, which is more than enough to lead to a handful of goals. Montembeault stood tall in the early parts of the game, blessing his team with an extended grace period for the first time in the playoffs, and the nth time in his career.

Focused On The Task At Hand

I tend to believe blaming referees is a tired aspect of professional sports. In most cases, fans are frustrated with the results from their favourite team, rather than the officiating, but referees always make an easy target for criticism.

Simply put, referees are a human aspect of sports, which means there will be some mistakes. There’s no avoiding it.

That being said, the icing that led to the Capitals’ overtime goal was questionable, at best, while a blatant cross-check to Brendan Gallagher’s jaw went unpenalized. Ivan Demidov was also taken out of a play with a clear bout of interference.

Such is life in the NHL Playoffs.

There’s no rhyme or reason (or consistency), you just have to roll with the punches.

The Canadiens shouldn’t get bitter, but they do have to get better.

Thankfully, that’s the exact mentality we saw from key players in post-game interviews.

Lane Hutson tonight after the Habs game 1 OT loss:

“It’s frustrating for sure. I lost my check twice & they scored. It’s something I gotta learn from. It just sucks that it ended that way.” pic.twitter.com/0GbazFV9eE

— /r/Habs (@HabsOnReddit) April 22, 2025

Game Two of the first-round series between the Montreal Canadiens and the Washingont Capitals is scheduled for Wednesday, at 7 pm ET. All Montreal Canadiens statistics are 5v5 unless otherwise noted, via Natural Stat Trick.