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Montreal Canadiens forward Ivan Demidov – (Photo by Reuben Polansky-Shapiro/NHLI via Getty Images)

3 Reasons the Canadiens Can Upset the Capitals

Originally posted on The Hockey Writers
By William Bourget | Last updated Apr 17, 2025 3:10 PM ET

The Stanley Cup Playoffs are all about surprises. Every spring, teams defy expectations, underdogs rise, and new heroes are born. As the Montreal Canadiens prepare to face off against the Washington Capitals in the first round, few are giving them a real shot. After all, there’s a 20-point gap between these two teams in the regular-season standings, the Capitals are proven, seasoned, and statistically dominant. But hockey isn’t played on paper, and Montreal has more than a few reasons to believe they can pull off the upset.

Sam Montembeault

Every year, it seems there’s a goaltender who takes the playoffs by storm, someone who wasn’t in the Vezina Trophy conversation during the regular season but suddenly morphs into an unstoppable force in April and May. In 2023, it was Adin Hill. In 2019, it was Jordan Binnington. This year? It could very well be Samuel Montembeault.

Montembeault has been a steady presence in the Canadiens’ crease all season, but now he has a chance to make his mark on the biggest stage. He’s shown flashes of brilliance throughout the season, especially in games where he faced a high shot volume. His calm demeanour and quick reflexes give the Canadiens a real chance to steal games they otherwise shouldn’t win.

Goaltending is the great equalizer in the playoffs. A hot goalie can shift momentum, steal a game, or even win a series outright. If Montembeault finds his rhythm early in this series and maintains that level, it changes everything. The Capitals have offensive firepower, yes, but they’ve also been known to go quiet when faced with strong goaltending. If Montembeault can elevate his game, Montreal’s chances skyrocket.

Canadiens’ Young Guns

Montreal’s roster is built around its youth. While that might raise concerns about inexperience in a playoff setting, it also brings an element of unpredictability and hunger that veteran-heavy teams sometimes lack. The Canadiens’ hopes don’t just rest on one player — they rest on a core of young, dynamic talents ready to prove themselves on hockey’s biggest stage.

Lane Hutson — freshly arrived and already turning heads — brings elite skating, offensive instincts, and power-play upside from the blue line. If he adjusts quickly to the NHL playoff pace, his ability to drive transition and create offense will be invaluable.

Ivan Demidov, who joined late in the season, brings the kind of high-end skill that can tilt a game with a single shift. His creativity and vision could be the wild card that catches Washington off guard. Not even two weeks ago he was in the Kontinental Hockey League playoffs with SKA St. Petersburg.

Kaiden Guhle has shown all season he can handle top-pair minutes against tough matchups, and Juraj Slafkovsky’s growth into a top-six threat has been one of the season’s most positive storylines. If these players show up ready from Game 1, they could inject life and pace into the Canadiens’ attack and keep the Capitals on their heels.

Youth brings speed, swagger, and a belief that anything is possible. That kind of mentality is dangerous, especially in a seven-game series where momentum can swing wildly. The Canadiens might not have playoff experience, but they have nothing to lose, and that makes them especially dangerous.

Washington’s Post-Cup Struggles

The Capitals are not the team they once were. Since hoisting the Stanley Cup in 2018, Washington hasn’t won a single playoff round. In fact, they’ve exited in the first round every years except one where they missed the playoffs. This is a team that’s struggled to replicate its postseason dominance, despite still boasting the likes of Alex Ovechkin, John Carlson, and Tom Wilson.

Add to that the psychological burden: another early exit would reinforce the narrative that the Capitals’ window is firmly shut. That kind of pressure can weigh heavy on a veteran group. If Montreal can take Game 1 or 2 and plant a seed of doubt, things could spiral quickly for Washington.

On top of that, goaltending in Washington has been solid in the regular season but lacks playoff experience. There’s no dominant playoff track record there. Logan Thompson and Charlie Lindgren both appeared in only four playoff games.

The Canadiens aren’t favourites. No one is pretending otherwise. But this is the Stanley Cup Playoffs, the place where seeds don’t always matter, where matchups and momentum shape outcomes more than regular-season stats. Montreal comes into this series with a chip on their shoulder.

It won’t be easy. Washington has the experience, the numbers, and the pedigree. But they also have pressure, aging legs, and a recent history of playoff underperformance. The Canadiens just need to believe. If their goalie stands tall, their young guns fire early, and the Caps continue to falter under the spotlight, belief might just turn into reality.