Canadiens eliminated from NHL playoffs after 4-1 loss to Capitals in Game 5

Daniel Rainbird · The Canadian Press

· Posted: Apr 30, 2025 10:16 PM EDT | Last Updated: 4 minutes ago

The Montreal Canadiens are retired of the NHL playoffs.

Montreal fell 4-1 to the Washington Capitals successful Game 5 of their first-round bid Wednesday, losing the best-of-seven matchup successful 5 games.

Washington volition instrumentality connected the Carolina Hurricanes successful the 2nd round, portion Montreal becomes the 2nd squad knocked retired of the post-season.

The Canadiens unexpectedly returned to the playoffs for the archetypal clip since 2021, marking a turnaround for the storied franchise that began its archetypal rebuild aft a disastrous commencement to the 2021-22 season.

Montreal lived adjacent the NHL's basement for 3 years and was not a fashionable pre-season prime to scope the playoffs.

The Canadiens stumbled retired of the gross and ranked 31st successful the NHL connected Dec. 1, much than a 4th of the mode done the season.

A blistery streak during the vacation play was 1 of galore turning points successful a roller-coaster campaign.

The Canadiens struggled again successful precocious January and aboriginal February to autumn down successful the playoff race, but rebounded with a 15-5-6 tally aft the 4 Nations Face-Off interruption successful a agelong filled with melodramatic comebacks.

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Montreal captured the 2nd — and last — chaotic paper successful the Eastern Conference with a 4-2 triumph implicit Carolina successful its last crippled of the regular season. The matchup drew truthful overmuch attraction that the French-language national predetermination statement needed to beryllium rescheduled 2 hours earlier than planned.

Captain Nick Suzuki led the mode with 89 points — the astir by a Canadien since 1995-96 — portion Calder Trophy favourite Lane Hutson acceptable franchise records for a rookie defenceman.

Sam Montembeault established himself arsenic a coagulated No. 1 goalie, and veterans Josh Anderson and Brendan Gallagher had their champion seasons successful years, among respective different cardinal performances successful a peculiar season.

The youngest squad to scope the playoffs, the Canadiens besides qualified with the fewest points (91) and worst goal-differential (-20).

After 2 months of playing playoff-like hockey to ascent the standings, the deterioration and teardrop began to instrumentality its toll against a carnal Capitals team.

Top-seeded Washington won Games 1 and 2 astatine location earlier Montreal's electrical Game 3 triumph successful the archetypal sold-out playoff crippled astatine the Bell Centre since 2017. The Capitals past picked up the archetypal roadworthy triumph of the bid successful Game 4 connected Sunday.

Montembeault missed Games 4 and 5 aft exiting midway done Game 3 with a lower-body injury, and rookie goalie Jakub Dobes took implicit successful the crease. The Canadiens besides played without winger Patrik Laine (upper body) from Game 3 onward, portion respective different players nursed injuries.