Canadiens vs. Capitals Top Six Minutes: We have a series

• Just thinking back to how much Sportsnet was praising the crowd in Toronto as I listen to the fervour in the Bell Centre.

First period

• Ivan Demidov uses his speed to get down the wall and throw the puck back to the slot, but no one is there to grab it.
• Josh Anderson dances his way past a couple of defenders to get to the slot for an clean shot that Logan Thompson handles.
• Lane Hutson steals the puck in the offensive zone and leads to a one-timer for Caufield that Thompson also has to be sharp on.
• Arber Xhekaj gets a big cheer for his first hit of the game.
• The start was all Montreal, but Washington gets the first goal after Christian Dvorak loses his man and Matt Roy fires a rebound off the stick of Connor McMichael at the side of the crease.
• Garry Galley is giddy.
• There’s nothing Montreal has to do any differently after the first four minutes. They’ve had a great start so far.
• The top line creates one shot from the slot for Juraj Slafkovský then one from closer range for #20. Thompson is holding his team in the lead right now.
• Another shift like that and Thompson is going to be treating the puck like a grenade when it comes his way.
• Ryan Leonard kicks Jake Evans’ flying’s feet out from under him at centre ice after the whistle has gone, and that will be a Montreal power play.
• With no Patrik Laine, Cole Caufield is in his place, and has a one-time shot already that caught Thompson’s collarbone.
• The power does look pretty good with Demidov at the right circle.
• Alex Newhook goes to the box fro tripping. He doesn’t like it because he didn’t mean to do it, but his stick did get into Leonard’s feet.
• Anderson steals the puck at the Washington goal line and Thompson makes another critical stop.
• Every line looks good for Montreal tonight.
• Lane Hutson takes some time to collect himself after getting run into the boards behind the net. He readjusts his equipment, starts the breakout, and sees it result in another good scoring chance for Caufield.
• Finally the Canadiens get rewarded for their play. Alexandre Carrier sifts the puck through traffic from the blue line and gets a tip from a Capitals player.

ALEX CARRIER TIES THE GAME

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— Matt Drake (@drakemt.bsky.social) April 25, 2025 at 8:50 PM

• Montreal may not get to take the tie into the intermission, because Nick Suzuki has been called for slashing. Upon review, it was the stick of Rasmus Sandin that ended up hitting Thompson, not Suzuki’s. Just add it to the list of incorrect calls in this series.
• The Habs kill off those final seconds of the period, but have another 81 to go.

Second period

• Montreal gets the kill, and goes right back on the attack.
• Carrier almost fooled Thompson with a shot from the goal line.
• Suddenly the Dvorak line is the one giving up the best chances to Washington. That’s not what Martin St-Louis wants to see.
• Gallagher loads up a one-timer from 60 feet and I think that one caught Thiompson in the collarbone again.
• David Savard gets hit directly in the head as by Brandon Duhaime as he dumps the puck in. This should be a five-minute major. Washington is lucky it’s only two minutes.
• But it only takes the captain four seconds to avenge his teammate on the power play. Great backhand over Thompson’s blocker after going to the net following the faceoff.

#Habs Nick Suzuki with top corner backhander for PP goal vs #Capitals #GoHabsGo #NHL #Hockey @RocketSports.bsky.social

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— ChrisHabs360 (@chrishabs360.bsky.social) April 25, 2025 at 9:31 PM

• Okay, Montreal is actually aiming fro Thompson’s collarbone. Slafkovský just popped a strap off his mask.
• Jakob Chychrun ties the game. Washington only has 12 shots to Montreal’s 23, but the score is tied at two. Ivan Demidov lost his position on that one.
• You just have to deal with that from a 19-year-old in his fifth NHL game.
• Duhaime raises his shoulder to hit Alex Newhook in the head. Fortunately, Newhook sees it comes and moves to go around Duhaime, who ends up getting called for tripping.
• In the TV timeout, Samuel Montembeault has left the crease, and Jakub Dobes is coming in.
• A replay shows a potential hamstring strain for Montembeault.
• Another good-looking power play, but no goal this time.
• That was not the time to go one-on-three on your backhand in your own zone, Mike Matheson.
• Roy gets away with a punch to the face of Anderson in a scrum.
• Hutson reads the breakout play absolutely perfectly, jumping up to grab the puck as Alexander Ovechkin waits for it to get to him. Hutson sends it across the ice and Caufield fires it in.

LANE HUTSON TO COLE CAUFIELD, AND THE HABS ARE BACK IN THE LEAD

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— Matt Drake (@drakemt.bsky.social) April 25, 2025 at 9:51 PM

• The officials have completely lost control of this game as there’s a bench-clearing brawl at Washington’s bench, all started by the Capitals players after the horn had sounded. Josh Anderson ens up getting knocked through the door at the bench in an altercation with Tom Wilson.
• All I can say is this better be at least a one-man advantage for Montreal when the third period begins.

Second period

• The officials even up the calls. So expect absolutely none of that to be curtailed from the Capitals in the third period.
• Anyway, having Wilson out for half of the period isn’t such a bad thing.

Third period

• The Canadiens announce that Montembeault won’t be back, which isn’t so surprising.
• Tom Wilson also hasn’t come out to serve his time in the penalty box.
• Washington takes advantage of another momentary breakdown from Montreal. Caufield doesn’t see Ovechkin skating to the net behind him, Savard can’t break up the cross-crease pass with his trademark slide, and the all-time goals leader ties the game.
• Duhaime scores not long after … on his own net. I guess he doesn’t know what to do when there’s no head to go after. Dvorak made the pass and gets credit for the goal.

• Newhook gets taken down again, and this will be another Habs power play.
• I don’t know how Brendan Gallagher just missed an open net.
• Good for Montreal to continue to push despite the lead. They’ve played their best in this series while the puck is in Washington’s zone.
• An excellent battle by Emil Heineman to win the puck from Chychrun sets up a slot shot from Newhook. Ifo nly he could hit the net.
• Slaflovský can on a pass from Caufield, making it 5-3.

JURAJ SLAFKOVSKY GIVE AND GO 5-3 #HABS

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— Matt Drake (@drakemt.bsky.social) April 25, 2025 at 10:50 PM

• Dylan Strome blows right through Thompson, cross-checking him in the throat and wrenching his knee sideways. Thompson needs major assistance to get off the ice.
• Both starters are now out of this game with injuries.
• A “Lind-gren!” chants starts up immediately.
• Lindgren’s first save comes on a two-on-one with Anderson and Gallagher.
• Montreal has shifted to defence with six minutes to play.
• But now they’re pushing again.
• Gallagher draws a cross-checking call in the corner for taking one in the ribs.
• Uh oh. Newhook found his aim. It’s 6-3.

Alex Newhook gains the zone, goes to the slot, gets it back, and makes it 6-3 #gohabsgo

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— Matt Drake (@drakemt.bsky.social) April 25, 2025 at 10:55 PM

• Now we just wait to see which Habs player Wilson decides to run.
• They were quite well behaved. I guess they know they need that injury for Game 4.

EOTP 3 Stars

3) Hard to disagree with that

2) The confidence to even think about doing that, let alone executing it

1) We expect the same in Game 4, Mr. Zamboni