While the Capitals pretty much did away with that pesky 3-1 series lead demon back in 2018 – with an exclamation point and a Stanley Cup – it was hard (for fans, at least) to look at this first-round matchup against a scrappy, upstart Canadiens team and not get at least a little nervous. After all, there were plenty of parallels between this series and the one that took place a whopping 15 years ago, and if you were a Caps fan back then, you probably bear the scars of one of the most embarrassing playoff losses in franchise history.
But the past is in the past, now even more so than before – because the Capitals held on, put together an absolutely workmanlike win, and are moving on to the second round for the first time since that magical 2018 run.
So how did they get there?
There were lots of moments in last night’s team-forward win that led to them wrapping up the series, but to pinpoint the moment it went in the win column, we’ll go with the nail-in-the-coffin goal that was 10 times better (and, frankly, funnier) because of who scored it. That would be the power-play goal scored by the man who helped change the complexion of this series, Tom Wilson.
The Caps had already gotten one power-play goal, a quick strike from – who else? – Alex Ovechkin to give the team the early lead, but their second opportunity with the extra man went awry, and while Jakob Chychrun’s blast a few minutes after Ovechkin’s gave the team a 2-0 cushion, they were still looking for a power-play goal from anyone other than #8 in this series.
They got another chance late in the second with Jake Evans in the box.
The play started with Wilson taking the faceoff after Dylan Strome was rudely dismissed from the dot. While he didn’t quite win the draw, his linemates jumped in and were able to gain control of the puck and start setting up the power play. After a brief cycle, Strome found John Carlson sneaking in on Jakub Dobeš’s right with a beauty of a pass that Dobeš was just able to get a piece of – but he lost his stick in the process and wasn’t able to control the rebound, the puck ending up back on Carlson’s stick.
Carlson went in for the wraparound on the other side, also turned aside by Dobeš, but this time the puck bounced out to Wilson. With Carlson and Chychrun wreaking havoc in front of the net and Dobeš without his goalie twig, all Wilson had to do was fire the puck through a mass of humanity, under the netminder, and into the net:
3-0 Caps, and you could almost feel the Habs deflate
The ridiculous pass from Strome, the excellent play around the net by Carlson, and the finish by the most-hated man in Montreal? Chef’s. Freaking. Kiss.
All told, Game 5 was exactly what you want to see out of this team in this situation. From the opening faceoff to the final horn, they executed their game plan efficiently and never really let Montreal get their legs (although it’s not like they rolled over, either, and the start to the first period in particular saw them give one final push). It was an extremely solid defensive effort, a game of opportunistic and timely offense, and another stellar performance in net from Logan Thompson, who was one crazy bounce short of a shutout.
Most importantly, it was a win, and the Capitals now advance to the second round to face…the Hurricanes.
Buckle up.