Montreal Canadiens vs. Washington Capitals Pick & Prediction APRIL 30th 2025
Preview and Prediction
Tom Wilson, the rugged forward for the Washington Capitals, has certainly made his presence known in the first-round series against the Montreal Canadiens in the Eastern Conference. His head coach, Spencer Carbery, fully supports his aggressive style of play.
On Wednesday, Wilson and superstar Alex Ovechkin will lead the Capitals in Game 5 against the Canadiens, with hopes of advancing to the conference semifinals. The team has already won their first two home games and managed to split the next two games in Montreal, with a 5-2 victory in Game 4.
In the third period of Game 4, Brandon Duhaime scored twice to help the Capitals secure their win. Dylan Strome and Anthony Beauvillier also contributed with points, extending their point streaks to four games. Strome has seven points in the series, while Beauvillier has five.
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It was Wilson's hit on Canadiens defenseman Alexandre Carrier that set up Duhaime's goal, tying the game at 2-2 early in the third period. According to Carbery, this hit changed the momentum of the game.
Carbery praised Wilson for his unique combination of physicality, leadership, and competitiveness, stating that players like him are rare in the league. He also highlighted Wilson's hit in Game 4 as a crucial play that shifted the game in their favor.
However, Wilson is known for his controversial actions on the ice. In Game 3, he was involved in a skirmish with Montreal's Josh Anderson, resulting in a game misconduct and a $5,000 fine from the NHL.
The Canadiens cannot afford to get distracted by Wilson's antics or any other issues, as they have no room for error. Forward Cole Caufield emphasized the importance of staying focused and taking it one shift at a time in order to keep their season alive.
Caufield has scored three goals in the series, including one in each of the last two games. Rookie defenseman Lane Hutson also had a strong performance in Game 4, recording two assists and becoming the sixth rookie defenseman in NHL history to have at least five assists in their first playoff series.
In Game 4, rookie Jakub Dobes stepped in for an injured Sam Montembeault and made 21 saves for the Canadiens. Montembeault is currently day-to-day with a lower-body injury.
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Montreal Canadiens vs. Washington Capitals
Alex Ovechkin scored his 699th career goal for Washington but that was not enough as Ben Chiarot finished with two goals, the second coming 58 seconds into overtime as the Montreal Canadiens rallied for a 4-3 victory over the host Capitals Monday night.
Ovechkin is trying to become the eighth player in NHL history to reach 700 goals. He had been in a mini-slump lately, not scoring a point or a goal in his last five games, and had a few chances to reach his milestone but came up short.
Chiarot gave the Canadiens a one-goal lead early in the third period and then got the game-winner in overtime as Montreal snapped a five-game losing streak.
Ovechkin's 699th career goal gave Washington a 1-0 lead 7:29 into the game after Montreal missed on a few early breakaways against goalie Capitals Braden Holtby.
Nicklas Backstrom won a draw in the left circle that came back to Ovechkin. He was in the back part of the circle and sent a shot inside the far post past goalie Carey Price for the early lead.
Montreal tied it when Shea Weber fired a blast from the right point that snaked its way through a bunch of bodies in front and by Holtby. That came with 2:17 remaining in the period and made it 1-1.
Lars Eller then gave Washington a 2-1 lead with 2:57 left in the second period with a strong individual effort. He came from behind the net, and as the puck got into the air near Price, Eller batted it past him.
But the lead did not last long as Brendan Gallagher got control of a loose puck in front of the Washington net and beat Holtby with 1:23 remaining.
The Canadiens outshot the Caps 17-12 in that second period, came up with several chances once more, and Washington was fortunate to escape in a 2-2 tie.
Chiarot of Montreal posted the tiebreaker 30 seconds into the third period when he scored from the edge of the left circle. The Capitals then sent the game into overtime when Tom Wilson poked the puck past Price from in front with 20.1 seconds left.