The Washington Capitals expect a tough series against the Montreal Canadiens after narrowly escaping with an overtime victory in Game 1 of their first-round playoff matchup.
Washington surrendered a two-goal third-period lead before securing the win against the Eastern Conference’s lowest playoff seed.
“One thing I’ve learned about their coach, their team: This team will not go quietly into the night,” Capitals head coach Spencer Carbery said, according to Sportsnet’s Eric Engels.
Carbery warned his team to be ready for an improved effort from Montreal in the next contest.
“We know we have our hands full, and we’re going to see a better first period from them in Game 2. I guarantee it. And that’s on us to counter that and know that that’s coming and not drop our guard.”
The Canadiens outshot the Capitals 35-32 in the opener.
Washington held a 57.06% advantage in five-on-five expected goals, according to Natural Stat Trick.
Montreal coach Martin St. Louis saw improvement in his team as the game progressed.
“I felt that we caught up to it and we started executing more,” he said. “We spent more time in the O-zone, and we got better as the game went on. … In terms of what we tried to do out there tonight, I felt it was a pretty good first game. There was a lot of good stuff. Unfortunately, you don’t win, but we got some really good stuff from this game.”
Montreal secured the second wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference with 91 points, making the playoffs for the first time since 2021.
The Canadiens finished the regular season on a 15-5-6 run after the 4 Nations Face-Off in February. The Capitals went 15-11-1 during that same stretch.
Game 2 is scheduled for Wednesday in D.C.
