WASHINGTON — The Montreal Canadiens are out of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Montreal fell 4-1 to the Washington Capitals in Game 5 of their first-round series Wednesday, losing the best-of-seven matchup in five games.
Washington will take on the Carolina Hurricanes in the second round, while Montreal becomes the second team knocked out of the post-season.
The Canadiens unexpectedly returned to the playoffs for the first time since 2021, marking a turnaround for the storied franchise that began its first rebuild after a disastrous start to the 2021-22 season.
Montreal lived near the NHL’s basement for three years and was not a popular pre-season pick to reach the playoffs.
The Canadiens stumbled out of the gate and ranked 31st in the NHL on Dec. 1, more than a quarter of the way through the season.
A hot streak during the holiday season was one of many turning points in a roller-coaster campaign.
The Canadiens struggled again in late January and early February to fall behind in the playoff race, but rebounded with a 15-5-6 run after the 4 Nations Face-Off break in a stretch filled with dramatic comebacks.
Montreal captured the second — and final — wild card in the Eastern Conference with a 4-2 win over Carolina in its final game of the regular season. The matchup drew so much attention that the French-language federal election debate needed to be rescheduled two hours earlier than planned.
Captain Nick Suzuki led the way with 89 points — the most by a Canadien since 1995-96 — while Calder Trophy favourite Lane Hutson set new franchise records for a rookie defenceman.
Sam Montembeault established himself as a solid No. 1 goalie, and veterans Josh Anderson and Brendan Gallagher had their best seasons in years, among several other key performances in a special season.
The youngest team to reach the playoffs, the Canadiens also qualified with the fewest points (91) and worst goal-differential (-20).
-
-
Watch the Stanley Cup Playoffs on Sportsnet
The NHL’s best are ready to battle for the right to hoist the Stanley Cup. Watch every game of the Stanley Cup Playoffs on Sportsnet and Sportsnet+ beginning on April 19.
After two months of playing playoff-like hockey to climb the standings, the wear and tear began to take its toll against a physical Capitals team.
Top-seeded Washington won Games 1 and 2 at home before Montreal’s electric Game 3 victory in the first sold-out playoff game at the Bell Centre since 2017. The Capitals then picked up the first road win of the series in Game 4 on Sunday.
Montembeault missed Games 4 and 5 after exiting midway through Game 3 with a lower-body injury, and rookie goalie Jakub Dobes took over in the crease. The Canadiens also played without winger Patrik Laine (upper body) from Game 3 onward, while several other players nursed injuries.
