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04/30 20:57 CDT Ovechkin scores as the Capitals eliminate the Canadiens in 5,
advance to play the Hurricanes
Ovechkin scores as the Capitals eliminate the Canadiens in 5, advance to play
the Hurricanes
By STEPHEN WHYNO
AP Hockey Writer
WASHINGTON (AP) --- Alex Ovechkin scored on a laser of a shot off a faceoff,
Logan Thompson made some spectacular saves among his 28 and the Washington
Capitals beat the Montreal Canadiens 4-1 in Game 5 of their first-round series
Wednesday night to advance in the NHL playoffs.
It's the Capitals' first series win since capturing the Stanley Cup in 2018,
and they clinched at home for the first time since 2015. They face the Carolina
Hurricanes in the second round with a spot in the Eastern Conference final at
stake.
Ovechkin led the way with his power-play goal 11 minutes in, setting off chants
of "Ovi! Ovi!" from the juiced up crowd. Pierre-Luc Dubois delivered a perfect
pass to Jakob Chychrun, who beat Jakub Dobes just over two minutes later. Tom
Wilson provided a valuable insurance goal late in the second period.
Fans expressed their appreciation for Thompson with chants of "LT! LT!" when he
turned aside Kaiden Guhle on a three-on-one rush and with under two minutes
left when he flashed his glove to rob Nick Suzuki with Dobes pulled for an
extra attacker. Brandon Duhaime sealed it with an empty-netter with 25.6
seconds left.
Thompson was at his best at the start when the Canadiens came out with the
desperation expected from a team facing elimination and then in the third when
they pressed and tilted the ice toward him. Much like the final minutes of Game
2, Washington's No. 1 goaltender kept the puck out of the net in crucial
situations to pave the way to a victory --- sometimes getting his masked head
in the way of shots.
The Capitals asserted their dominance in the East's 1 versus 8 series, a year
after getting swept as the underdog in it by the New York Rangers. Banged up
and without top goalie Sam Montembeault and scoring winger Patrik Laine, the
Canadiens got a goal from Emil Heineman but ultimately ran out of steam after
going on a tear down the stretch late in the regular season to be the last team
to qualify for the playoffs.
Up next Carolina and Washington meet in the playoffs for the first time since 2019. The Hurricanes won that series in seven games on a goal in double overtime. ___ AP NHL playoffs: https://apnews.com/hub/stanley-cup and https://apnews.com/hub/nhl |
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