First period
- Both teams are highly engaged for this start. Looks like Spencer Carbery was able to convince his team how important it was to seize the first opportunity to advance.
- It’s Montreal’s top line that gets the first good chance for Montreal, as Nick Suzuki is stopped from the slot.
- Montreal has gotten up to a 5-1 lead in shots. That energy boost was short-lived for the Capitals.
- Pierre-Luc Dubois decides to put his shoulder into the chest of Ivan Demidov 100 feet away from the puck. Anyone complaining about that call, as Carbery did, should be given an additional two minutes.
- Montreal’s young unit really compressed the zone again. Lane Hutson was quarterbacking from the top of the circles.
- But the power play comes to an early end as Juraj Slafkovský is called for breaking Brandon Duhaime’s stick.
- The opportunistic Capitals strike first. Christian Dvorak’s stick breaks on the faceoff, allowing for a clean win for Washington and right to the stick of Alexander Ovechkin, who beats Jakub Dobeš on Washington’s second shot of the game.
- The man-to-man coverage bites the Canadiens once again as David Savard’s follows his man around the net and Cole Caufield doesn’t rotate with Jakob Chychrun on his pinch to the net.
- Dobeš makes a huge glove save as Matheson can’t keep up with Tom Wilson and the Capitals forward gets a lot on a close-range shot.
- Montreal has a power play to try to get one of these goals back, and needs to take it.
- The Canadiens make 10 passes in 23 seconds to set up a Caufield on-timer that blasts off Logan Thompson’s mask.
- Emil Heineman fires a shot off the post. It doesn’t seem like it’s meant to be Montreal’s night.
- Dobeš makes another vital save on a Connor McMichael breakaway.
- It started well for Montreal, but a couple of Capitals goals give the Canadiens even more work to do than they already had coming in.
Second period
- Wilson gives Suzuki a hard shove and sends him through the post spinning to end end boards. At least the net came off so Suzuki didn’t get hurt.
- Dobeš is doing his best here, even making saves on his teammates.
- Gallagher is stopped on a point-blank shot.
- Another neutral-zone turnover leads to a quick counter, and Mike Matheson ends up with a slashing call.
- Kaiden Guhle is stopped on a short-handed three-on-one. That may have been the moment that could have turned the tide.
- There’s a “Closed … Please Call Again!” sign in the neutral zone right now.
- Jake Evans turns and realizes there’s no one between Andrew Mangiapane and Dobeš, and has to take a holding minor.
- Wilson makes it 3-0 after Dobeš did his best to keep the puck out without a stick.
Third period
- So how does this potentially final period of the season go? Will the Canadiens try to play as a five-man unit and make it a competitive finish, or will it mostly be individual efforts trying to break through the neutral-zone trap Washington has set up?
- Wilson cuffs Arber Xhekaj in the back of the head, then seeks the safety of the referee when Xhekaj shows he doesn’t appreciate it.
- Montreal finally gets a break in this game. Joel Armia fires a waist high shot across the front of the crease, which just happens to be as high as Heineman can raise his stick under the armpit of the defender closely checking him to deflect the puck in.
Emil Heineman gets a piece of this, and the #Habs are on the board finally.
— Matt Drake (@drakemt.bsky.social) April 30, 2025 at 10:16 PM
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- Evans very nearly tips a David Savard shot in for a second goal.
- Thompson is keeping his team from a total collapse right now.
- A valiant effort here from Montreal. They have the Capitals scrambling with 10 minutes to play.
- Evans made a pass to Caufield at the far post, but Montreal’s top goal-scorer couldn’t deflect the puck in.
- Caufield is very upset with himself on the bench.
- Dvorak isn’t having a fun night. He slips on the slush that has been churned up in Washington’s zone this period and has a potential scoring chance thwarted.
- Hutson blocks Wilson’s attempt at the empty net.
- Hutson shot ends up hitting the post on a Suzuki deflection.
- A long period of Habs possession ends with Thompson glove save on the captain.
- Montreal has several good shots in the final minutes, but Duhaime will make it a 4-1 final in this game and this series.
- The players all come together to hug a very emotional David Savard, who just played his final NHL game.
- Meanwhile, the Laval Rocket just began what could be a very long playoff run with a win in their opening game, so there’s plenty more to talk about in this 2024-25 season at EOTP.
EOTP 3 Stars
3) They’re here for a good time, and a long time
2) It’s not so long until October now
1) They set the stage well for 2025-26
