Habs pushed to the brink in 5-2 loss to the Capitals

Daniel Rainbird · The Canadian Press

· Posted: Apr 27, 2025 10:19 PM EDT | Last Updated: 12 minutes ago

Andrew Mangiapane scored the go-ahead extremity with 3:37 remaining successful the 3rd play arsenic the Washington Capitals defeated the Montreal Canadiens 5-2 successful Game 4 of their first-round playoff bid connected Sunday.

Mangiapane picked up a driblet walk astatine the bluish enactment earlier ripping a changeable past Jakub Dobes mitt broadside to springiness the Capitals a commanding 3-1 pb successful the best-of-seven matchup.

Brandon Duhaime scored twice, including an empty-net extremity with 2:39 left, portion Dylan Strome had a extremity and an assistance for Washington, which trailed 2-1 entering the 3rd period. Tom Wilson added a 2nd empty-netter.

The Capitals besides won Games 1 and 2 astatine home.

Logan Thompson made 16 saves aft exiting with an wounded precocious successful Game 3. Teammate Dylan Strome crashed into Thompson connected Montreal's 5th extremity Friday, and the Capitals' starter needed to beryllium helped disconnected the ice.

Cole Caufield and Juraj Slafkovsky replied for Montreal, portion Lane Hutson and Ivan Demidov produced 2 assists apiece.

Dobes stopped 21 shots successful his archetypal vocation playoff start. The 23-year-old from Czechia replaced injured starter Sam Montembeault midway done the 2nd play successful Game 2. Montembeault is considered day-to-day with a lower-body injury.

The Canadiens defeated the Capitals 6-3 successful a chaotic Game 3 — the archetypal playoff crippled earlier a afloat Bell Centre since 2017 — that featured a seat brawl and some starting goalies sustaining injuries.

Duhaime tied the crippled 2-2 astatine 6:39 of the 3rd play aft immoderate fortunate bounces from his changeable astatine the broadside of the net. The extremity followed a monolithic deed from Capitals dense hitter Wilson connected defenceman Alexandre Carrier, who aboriginal exited the game.

Montreal won the peculiar teams battle, going 2-for-4 connected the powerfulness play portion sidesplitting disconnected 5 penalties — including a 44-second 5-on-3 successful the 2nd play disconnected 2 debatable calls.

Dobes stretched retired for a spectacular blocker prevention connected John Carlson to assistance termination the two-man advantage.

Slafkovsky past tied the crippled connected the powerfulness play astatine 10:33 of the second, finishing a silky provender from Demidov and a secondary assistance from Hutson — combining for an mean property of 20.33 connected the goal.

Caufield made it 2-1 astatine 18:32 with different power-play goal, squeaking a one-timer past Thompson to rise the Bell Centre's roof.

Energized by the Game 3 win, thousands of rabid fans packed the streets extracurricular the Bell Centre. Those wrong the gathering — including erstwhile Canadien defenceman P.K. Subban — drowned retired nationalist code announcer Michel Lacroix and delayed the nationalist anthems with "Go! Habs Go!" and "Ole, Ole, Ole!" chants.

After a sloppy archetypal period, Strome capitalized connected a mates of Canadiens mistakes to unfastened the scoring 1:25 into the second.

Hutson turned the puck implicit to Anthony Beauvillier, starring to a partial break. Then Dobes misplayed it, hesitating to frost the puck and letting it bounce disconnected his pad, and Strome was determination to hide it with a backhand.

Game 5 goes Wednesday astatine Capital One Arena successful Washington.

Getting the call

The Canadiens recalled netminder Cayden Primeau from American Hockey League affiliate Laval to service arsenic Dobes's backup. Primeau, who began the play successful Montreal earlier getting sent down successful December, rushed to the Bell Centre connected Friday aft Montembeault exited the game.

Primeau wasn't connected the roster earlier 5 p.m., meaning helium would not person been eligible to play. Local constabulary serviceman Patrick Cheverfils filled successful arsenic an exigency backup.

"I don't cognize the logistics of anything, not definite I would person been capable to beryllium utilized oregon whatnot," helium said. "Just wanted to marque definite I was here."

Wilson's crybaby gesture                           

Wilson went viral connected societal media for making a crybaby motion toward the Canadiens aft helium and Josh Anderson brawled connected Washington's seat successful Game 2. Wilson specified Sunday greeting that his taunts weren't directed astatine the full team.

"It was for 1 guy," helium told reporters. "I'm not gonna accidental who, but helium knows who it was and evidently the camera was close connected me, truthful I conjecture I should astir apt conscionable unopen up sometimes.

"Emotions get high."

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