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WASHINGTON – Facing elimination, the Canadiens will look to keep their season alive in a must-win Game 5 against the Washington Capitals at Capital One Arena on Wednesday.

Here’s what you need to know heading into the game:

GAME FACTS

WHEN

Wednesday, April 30 at 7:00 p.m. ET

WHERE

Capital One Arena – Washington D.C.

TV & STREAMING

CBC, Sportsnet, TVA Sports

RADIO

TSN 690, 98.5 FM

PLAYOFF HUB

STATISTICS

WHAT’S HAPPENING IN MONTREAL

Looking for the best spot in town to watch Game 5 with your friends and fellow Habs fans? Come feel the playoff energy at one of two watch parties in Montreal:

  • L’espace 1909, a 17,000-square foot event space adjacent to the Bell Centre, will be hosting an exclusive not-to-be-missed, catered watch party on Wednesday. Tickets are required and can be purchased here.
  • The Casino de Montréal will be hosting a buzz-worthy viewing party of their own. Entry is free and thousands of dollars’ worth of prizes are to be won!

For more details on where to watch Habs games through the playoffs, visit the canadiens.com Playoff Central page or click here.

PLAYOFF 50/50 RAFFLE

The Montreal Canadiens Children’s Foundation’s 50/50 raffle continues throughout Round 1 of the playoffs! All tickets sold—during both home and away games—will be combined into a single cumulative jackpot, which has now surpassed $735,000. The pot will keep growing until the end of the final game of the series against the Capitals.

Bonus tickets are also available as an add-on, giving you the chance to win one of 10 additional prizes, including $10,000 in cash, a pair of tickets to a Habs game, Brendan Gallagher’s game-worn home jersey from the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs, and more.

To view the full list of prizes or to buy tickets, visit 5050.canadiens.com. Must be 18+ and physically located in the province of Quebec at the time of purchase.

KEYS TO THE GAME

Familiar territory

More than once this season, the Canadiens have been counted out. From sitting second-to-last in the NHL standings in December to losing eight of nine games heading into the 4 Nations break, they’ve grown familiar with having their backs against the wall. And each time, they’ve found a way to respond.

“I feel like all year we’ve had that mentality where everything looks like it’s going the wrong way so to speak and we get up and speak,” said Martin St-Louis in his press conference on Tuesday.

With their season on the line on Wednesday, St-Louis and the Canadiens will look to write the next chapter in their story of resilience and have the final say in Game 5.

Silence the crowd

Home-ice advantage takes on a whole new meaning in the playoffs — as Games 3 and 4 in Montreal clearly showed. And while the crowd noise in Washington might not match that of the Bell Centre’s, an early lead could go a long way in silencing the fans and tilting the momentum in the Canadiens favor.

Shutdown Ovechkin’s line

Take away Washington’s three empty-netters, and it’s clear where the damage is coming from. The trio of Alex Ovechkin, Dylan Strome, and Anthony Beauvillier has combined for six of the Capitals 11 goals in the series — more than half the team’s total. That leaves the rest of the lineup averaging just 1.25 goals per game. If the Canadiens can contain the Caps top line, their chances of extending the series improve dramatically.

HEAD-TO-HEAD

Regular season

Oct. 31 @ WSH: 6-3 WSH

Dec. 7 @ MTL: 4-2 WSH

Jan. 10 @ WSH: 3-2 MTL (OT)

Playoffs

Game 1 | Apr. 21 @ WSH: 3-2 WSH (OT)

Game 2 | Apr. 23 @ WSH: 3-1 WSH

Game 3 | Apr. 25 @ MTL: 6-3 MTL

Game 4 | Apr. 27 @ MTL: 5-2 WSH

BY THE NUMBERS: HABS-CAPS

Here’s how the Canadiens and Capitals match up by the numbers:

Canadiens

📈

Capitals

1-2-1

RECORD

3-1-0

38.5%

POWER PLAY

10%

90%

PENALTY KILL

61.5%

2.75

GOALS FOR/GAME

3.50

3.50

GOALS AGAINST/GAME

2.75

Caufield (3)

GOALS

McMichael, Ovechkin (3)

Hutson (5)

ASSISTS

Strome (5)

Hutson (5)

POINTS

Strome (7)

Armia (+1)

+/- DIFFERENTIAL

Chychrun (+5)

Anderson (22)

HITS

Ovechkin (16)

LINEUP NEWS

The Canadiens are not scheduled for a morning skate on Wednesday. Martin St-Louis and select players will, however, be made available to the media at the hotel pregame. For the full lineup, check back on the team’s social accounts closer to puck drop.

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