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Will it be enough for Washington Capitals fans if they fall short in the playoffs, but they were able to experience Alex Ovechkin's historic chase of the goalscoring record? It's starting to look like the Capitals' season ended when Ovechkin got close to that record, and that has to be a concerning thought for Capitals fans. Who knows, it could be that the chase and subsequent conquering of the record has them in a lull until the playoffs pick them back up again. However, the Capitals will need a massive turnaround to win the Stanley Cup.
Everything was going right for the Capitals. Their offseason additions in Jakob Chychrun and Logan Thompson were successful, leading to long-term contract extensions. They also hit a home run with the addition of Pierre-Luc Dubois, which many teams have failed to figure out before. It was all going in Washington's favor until the last month.
Luckily, the Capitals had such a big cushion in the playoff race that their recent 3-6-1 run hasn't affected their place in the standings, but it isn't a promising result for a team with Stanley Cup aspirations.
Logan Thompson finding his form would be a dream scenario
It's hard for the Capitals to remember a time before the 4-Nations Face-Off when Thompson's snub was the talk of the hockey world. Thompson was the best Canadian-born goaltender to that point, and he looked poised to lead the Capitals into the postseason. He held a record of 24-2-2 when the league halted for that break, with a .921 save percentage with a 2.23 goals-against average.
Vegas Golden Knights fans tried to caution the Capitals not to get too excited about the goaltender. He could be a starting goaltender in the NHL, but his inconsistency was his biggest downfall and stopped him from being a star with the Golden Knights. Thompson's success was great, but the actual test would be his maintaining it the rest of the year.
Thompson hasn't been as successful since the break, with a 7-4-4 record. His season save percentage has dropped to .910, and his goals-against average has risen to 2.49. His form has been one problem, but the other has been his health. Thompson has begun on-ice rehab, but hasn't started since April 2, and his readiness for Game 1 is in question. The Capitals would love for Thompson to return and find his first-half form, but this seems unlikely.
Washington has a reliable goaltender playing behind him in Charlie Lindgren, but there has to be still a sour taste in his mouth from last year's playoffs. Lindgren had a dream season in 2023-24, but struggled in a first-round sweep against the New York Rangers. Neither of these goalies has a ton of playoff success, but the Capitals coaching staff is likely much more comfortable with Thompson than Lindgren. It'd be a dream scenario if Thompson could pay off their trust.
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Canadiens playing spoiler is a nightmare scenario
The Montreal Canadiens haven't clinched their playoff spot yet, but there's a good chance they'll find their way into the last Wild Card. Montreal must earn one point over their final two games, while the Columbus Blue Jackets must win their final two games. We'll assume it'll be the Capitals against the Canadiens, and that is bad news for Washington.
We've seen this movie before, as the Capitals lost to the Canadiens in 2010 as the first seed in the Eastern Conference. A result in 2010 doesn't mean anything for 2025, but this Canadiens team has the same type of good vibes going as they enter this postseason.
The greatest question mark is how Canadiens newcomer Ivan Demidov will play. The Russian top prospect wasn't supposed to debut until the 2025-26 season, but their recent playoff surge persuaded Kent Hughes to attempt to bring him over early. It seemed like a venture that would meet with deaf ears in the KHL, but SKA St. Petersburg's head coach Roman Rotenberg had a sudden change of heart and allowed Demidov to leave his contract early.
Another question for the Canadiens is the state of their goaltenders. They recently signed top goaltending prospect Jacob Fowler from Boston College, but he won't be ready this season unless something drastic happens. It'll be in the hands of Sam Montembeault and Jakub Dobes, and the rookie Dobes could be catching fire at an intriguing time.
When the Canadiens beat the Capitals in 2010, Jaroslav Halak came out of nowhere to steal the starting job from Carey Price. Will Dobes repeat history and pull off a stunning upset over the East's top seed? Either way, the Capitals should hope the Blue Jackets find a way to pass the red-hot Canadiens.
