The Montreal Canadiens visit the Washington Capitals in Game 5 of the first-round, best-of-7 series in the Stanley Cup Playoffs Friday.

If the answer is “no,” that’s OK. Montreal nearly backed its way into the playoffs and the Washington Capitals hit a rough patch of their own. Still, this matchup brings a whole bunch of juice — the most prolific goal scorer of all time, the East’s top team and the return of postseason hockey to one of the sport’s true epicenters.

As of Saturday, April 26, 2025, the NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs are in full swing, with the first round delivering drama, overtime thrillers, and no shortage of surprises.

Andrew Mangiapane scored the go-ahead goal with just under four minutes remaining, Brandon Duhaime had two goals and Logan Thompson made 16 saves to lead the Washington Capitals to a 5-2 win over the Montreal Canadiens for a 3-1 lead in the first-round series.

From big hits to post-whistle scrums and even shenanigans during pregame warmups, things are getting increasingly testy in the NHL first-round playoff series between the Washington Capitals and the Montreal Canadiens.

Pregame analysis and predictions of the Montreal Canadiens vs. Washington Capitals NHL game to be played on April 30, 2025 on ESPN.