Entering Game 5 against Montreal on Wednesday, the Capitals hadn't made it out of the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs since the 2017-18 season. They needed Ovechkin to excel in the series against the Canadiens to end the drought.

The Washington Capitals are heading to the next round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs after comfortably cruising past the Montreal Canadiens in five games, capping off the victory with a 4-1 win in the nation’s capital on Wednesday night.

I think that the start of the game is going to be important from an overall standpoint of what you expect from the Montreal Canadiens,” says Capitals head coach Spencer Carbe