Canadiens Have Upset Opportunity Against Capitals

The Montreal Canadiens have a real chance at upsetting the top-seeded Washington Capitals.

Jan 10, 2025; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Montreal Canadiens center Nick Suzuki (14) celebrates after scoring the game-winning goal in overtime on Washington Capitals goaltender Logan Thompson (48) at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images / Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

The Montreal Canadiens are back in the Stanley Cup Playoffs in a year they weren’t expected to compete for much. Thanks to a young group of skilled players, the Canadiens certainly needed to take positive strides, but playing in the postseason didn’t seem in the cards at first.

Squeaking in as the second wild card team, the Canadiens will take on the Washington Capitals in their opening round series, and this matchup could truly go either way. Sure, the Capitals enter the playoffs as the top team in the Eastern Conference, but they have been ice cold down the stretch.

With momentum possibly leaning in their favor, the Canadiens have a chance for a huge first-round upset.

A lot of the Capitals’ 2024-25 season was centered around Alex Ovechkin and his chase of Wayne Gretzky’s all-time goals record. Ovechkin notched the record in the midst of a 4-7-1 run to close out the year.

For most of the season, the Capitals weren’t to be messed with; now, they stumble into the playoffs on thin ice.

A lot of reasonable talk can be made that the Capitals exerted all of their energy during Ovechkin’s chase. Ovechkin was the only Capital to score in the record-breaking game.

Ovechkin was also the only Capital to score in a back-to-back situation against the Columbus Blue Jackets. The Capitals were shutout 7-0 on the first night, then Ovechkin scored the lone goal in a 4-1 loss the next night.

The Canadiens have a window of opportunity to strike thanks to Washington’s stumbles. Montreal also struggled to seal their playoff spot, but they got the necessary points and are looking for an unexpected deep playoff run.

Led by captain Nick Suzuki, Cole Caufield, and rookie Lane Hutson, the Canadiens have a ton of young talent looking to prove themselves on hockey’s biggest stage. It didn’t take Ivan Demidov long to make a difference, either, scoring a goal and an assist in his NHL debut.

The Capitals struggled down the stretch and the Canadiens weren’t really supposed to be here. The Canadiens have an advantage and can easily secure one of the biggest upsets of the entire playoffs.

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