After four hard-fought games, the Montreal Canadiens are on
the brink of elimination in their first-round series against the Washington
Capitals. The Habs had a day off on Monday. Still, alternate captain Brendan
Gallagher spoke to the media and explained this was nothing new, reminding the press
that Montreal was down 3-1 in their series against the Toronto Maple Leafs in
2021.
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Granted, there aren’t that many players left on the team
(Gallagher, Josh Anderson, Joel Armia, Nick Suzuki, Cole Caufield and Jake
Evans), but they are leaders the other players look up too, so leading the way
will be nothing new for them when the puck drops on Wednesday night.
Going back even further, in the Spring of 2010, the Habs
were also down 3-1 against those same Capitals and ultimately prevailed. Of
course, none of the players from then are still around, but the circumstances
were similar. The Habs had qualified from the skin of their teeth while the
Capitals were the Presidents’ Trophy winners.
Montreal won the first game 3-2 in overtime before losing
the next three, including two one-sided games. Still, the Canadiens rose from
their ashes thanks to Jaroslav Halak. They put up three consecutive wins to
eventually dispatch the regular season champions in seven games on their turf.
The fact that the Canadiens haven’t won a game in Washington
so far doesn’t mean they cannot do it. Despite the scoreline of Sunday night’s
game, the Habs were in it until the very end and were by no means dominated.
The efficiency of both special teams may also play a
significant role in game five. The newly formed first power play unit was
impressive in game four and will be hungry for more in game five, especially with
the high stakes.
SON NOM : GOAL CAUFIELD#GoHabsGopic.twitter.com/DiORuuqqjk
— x – Canadiens Montréal (@CanadiensMTL) April 28, 2025
The Canadiens will hold a practice in Brossard at 11:00 on
Tuesday morning before departing for Washington at 2:00 PM. They’ll then have a
morning skate on Wednesday at 10:30 in Washington to prepare for game five,
which is scheduled for 7:00 PM.
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