Canadiens visit Capitals with season on the line Wednesday
WASHINGTON – Facing elimination, the Canadiens will look to keep their season alive in a must-win Game 5 against the Washington Capitals at Capital One Arena on Wednesday.
Here’s what you need to know heading into the game:
GAME FACTS
WHEN
Wednesday, April 30 at 7:00 p.m. ET
WHERE
Capital One Arena – Washington D.C.
TV & STREAMING
CBC, Sportsnet, TVA Sports
RADIO
TSN 690, 98.5 FM
PLAYOFF HUB
Canadiens’ 2025 Playoff Central
STATISTICS
Capitals Player Statistics
Canadiens Player Statistics
NHL Gamecenter Preview
NHL Standings
WHAT’S HAPPENING IN MONTREAL
Looking for the best spot in town to watch Game 5 with your friends and fellow Habs fans? Come feel the playoff energy at one of two watch parties in Montreal:
For more details on where to watch Habs games through the playoffs, visit the canadiens.com Playoff Central page or click here.
PLAYOFF 50/50 RAFFLE
The Montreal Canadiens Children’s Foundation’s 50/50 raffle continues throughout Round 1 of the playoffs! All tickets sold—during both home and away games—will be combined into a single cumulative jackpot, which has now surpassed $735,000. The pot will keep growing until the end of the final game of the series against the Capitals.
Bonus tickets are also available as an add-on, giving you the chance to win one of 10 additional prizes, including $10,000 in cash, a pair of tickets to a Habs game, Brendan Gallagher’s game-worn home jersey from the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs, and more.
To view the full list of prizes or to buy tickets, visit 5050.canadiens.com. Must be 18+ and physically located in the province of Quebec at the time of purchase.
KEYS TO THE GAME
Familiar territory
More than once this season, the Canadiens have been counted out. From sitting second-to-last in the NHL standings in December to losing eight of nine games heading into the 4 Nations break, they’ve grown familiar with having their backs against the wall. And each time, they’ve found a way to respond.
“I feel like all year we’ve had that mentality where everything looks like it’s going the wrong way so to speak and we get up and speak,” said Martin St-Louis in his press conference on Tuesday.
With their season on the line on Wednesday, St-Louis and the Canadiens will look to write the next chapter in their story of resilience and have the final say in Game 5.
Silence the crowd
Home-ice advantage takes on a whole new meaning in the playoffs — as Games 3 and 4 in Montreal clearly showed. And while the crowd noise in Washington might not match that of the Bell Centre’s, an early lead could go a long way in silencing the fans and tilting the momentum in the Canadiens favor.
Shutdown Ovechkin’s line
Take away Washington’s three empty-netters, and it’s clear where the damage is coming from. The trio of Alex Ovechkin, Dylan Strome, and Anthony Beauvillier has combined for six of the Capitals 11 goals in the series — more than half the team’s total. That leaves the rest of the lineup averaging just 1.25 goals per game. If the Canadiens can contain the Caps top line, their chances of extending the series improve dramatically.
HEAD-TO-HEAD
Regular season
Oct. 31 @ WSH: 6-3 WSH
Dec. 7 @ MTL: 4-2 WSH
Jan. 10 @ WSH: 3-2 MTL (OT)
Playoffs
Game 1 | Apr. 21 @ WSH: 3-2 WSH (OT)
Game 2 | Apr. 23 @ WSH: 3-1 WSH
Game 3 | Apr. 25 @ MTL: 6-3 MTL
Game 4 | Apr. 27 @ MTL: 5-2 WSH
BY THE NUMBERS: HABS-CAPS
Here’s how the Canadiens and Capitals match up by the numbers:
Canadiens
📈
Capitals
1-2-1
RECORD
3-1-0
38.5%
POWER PLAY
10%
90%
PENALTY KILL
61.5%
2.75
GOALS FOR/GAME
3.50
3.50
GOALS AGAINST/GAME
2.75
Caufield (3)
GOALS
McMichael, Ovechkin (3)
Hutson (5)
ASSISTS
Strome (5)
Hutson (5)
POINTS
Strome (7)
Armia (+1)
+/- DIFFERENTIAL
Chychrun (+5)
Anderson (22)
HITS
Ovechkin (16)
LINEUP NEWS
The Canadiens are not scheduled for a morning skate on Wednesday. Martin St-Louis and select players will, however, be made available to the media at the hotel pregame. For the full lineup, check back on the team’s social accounts closer to puck drop.
