A year after being swept in the first round, the Washington Capitals are heading to the second round after a 4-1 win against the Montreal Canadiens in Game 5.
Credit an offseason retool that allowed Washington to jump from eighth in the Eastern Conference to first. It carried that improvement into the playoffs.
The Capitals have reached the second round for the first time since their championship run in 2018. Their win Wednesday was a combination of the leftovers from that team and the newcomers.
Longtime captain Alex Ovechkin, the NHL’s all-time leading goal scorer, opened the scoring at 9:12 of the first period, ripping a shot past Jakub Dobes after a Dylan Strome faceoff win.
Newcomer Jakob Chychrun scored a little more than two minutes later after jumping in from the point. Veteran Tom Wilson, who had a series-changing hit in Game 4, scored a power play goal in the second period to make it 3-0.
Goalie Logan Thompson, an offseason acquisition, made that lead stand up with 28 saves, allowing only a goal by Emil Heineman. Newcomer Brandon Duhaime put the game away with an empty-netter, his third goal of the series.
What’s next for the Washington Capitals?
They’ll face the Carolina Hurricanes in the second round and will host Games 1 and 2. The Capitals went 2-2 against the Hurricanes in the regular season.
What’s next for the Montreal Canadiens?
Their dynamic young top line of Nick Suzuki, Cole Caufield and Juraj Slafkovsky is signed long-term. Defenseman Lane Hutson will be a rookie of the year finalist and Ivan Demidov showed promise in his short time in the league.
Defenseman David Savard, a former Stanley Cup winner, has said he will retire, and forwards Joel Armia and Christian Dvorak are pending unrestricted free agents.
Patrik Laine, who was acquired in the offseason, dealt with multiple injuries, including in the first round. He has one year left on his contract.
