The Montreal Canadiens had a massive opportunity in front of them on Sunday night. With the Bell Centre crowd behind them, a win over the Washington Capitals would send the series back to their barn tied up at two. The alternative was much more daunting, as it would involve travelling for a game five contest that would be a do-or-die, and needing to win three such games in a row to take the series.
With the Habs facing Logan Thompson – possibly at less than 100% – they simply did not give him enough work on the night. They now face elimination unless they can go on a three-game streak here.
COLE CAUFIELD. 2-1 #GOHABSGO pic.twitter.com/WaJH90GnNF
— Matt Drake (@DrakeMT) April 28, 2025
This was far from the best shot Cole Caufield could put on goal. There’s a fair bit of velocity on the puck, but he’s not picking top corner like we know he’s capable of doing. Still, it gets through Thompson, which is why it was so frustrating to watch the Habs put up only 18 shots through 60 minutes of play. If that shot is going in, why couldn’t they get anywhere near their volume in game three?
Part of it was the Capitals’ style of play. They were up to their usual level of physicality and beyond, and checked very aggressively in the neutral zone to limit opportunities for the Habs. When they did get into the offensive zone, the Habs were missing the net far too often, if not unable to shoot altogether. The end result was that paltry 18 shots on net, most of which were relatively easy saves even for a hobbled Thompson.
There is plenty one could say about the officiating in that game as well, and our readers will know that I love saying those things dearly. Alas, when that game finished, all I could think about was the fact that they should have fired far more pucks at the net, because it looked like Thompson may have given them a few softies had they done that.
Now this team has the herculean task of winning three straight in front of them. It is a position that some of them have been in before, so hopefully they can draw on that 2021 experience and refuse to go gently into that good night.
Click the play button below to listen to your full Bottom Six Minutes, also available wherever you get your podcasts. We’ll be back for game five, this Wednesday night in DC.
