Canadiens 'resilient,' believe they can rally in Eastern 1st Round

MONTREAL -- Brendan Gallagher and the Montreal Canadiens believe they can come back and win their Eastern Conference First Round best-of-7 series against the Washington Capitals.

Montreal faces elimination in Game 5 at Capital One Arena in Washington on Wednesday (7 p.m. ET; MNMT, ESPN, SNP, SNO, SNE, TVAS, CBC). It trails 3-1 in the series after a 5-2 loss at Bell Centre on Sunday.

"We're resilient,” Gallagher said Monday. "I'm sure we've been counted out by people outside our locker room more than once this year, so this situation is going to be no different. We've gone through some tough stretches as a group, we've responded the way we've needed to respond, and this is no different. We're facing the same challenge.

"And the task can seem pretty daunting when you look at the big picture, but small picture, you've got to go on the road and win one game, completely flip the momentum. You do that and you start to plant a little bit of doubt in their mind, and you go from there.”

Gallagher is one of six Canadiens players who was part of their surprising run to the Stanley Cup Final in 2021. That postseason journey began with a first-round upset of the Toronto Maple Leafs, who held a 3-1 series lead before Montreal won three straight.

Forwards Nick Suzuki, Cole Caufield, Josh Anderson, Jake Evans and Joel Armia remain from that team four years later. The Canadiens will have to accomplish the same feat against the Capitals, the No. 1 seed in the East.

"This is a resilient group, and we still have some guys from a few years ago when we did this against Toronto that know the mental aspects of it as well and how it feels as you're coming back,” Gallagher said. "So, the next one's important, obviously, but if you're able to get that one you're able to really roll from there.”

In 2021, Suzuki scored on a pass from Caufield in overtime to finish off their two-man breakaway and give Montreal a 4-3 road win in Game 5 in Toronto, sparking the Canadiens' series comeback against the Maple Leafs.

"You draw on that experience for sure and you try to relay that message,” Gallagher said. "But for us, it's just right now our goal and our focus is very short term and it's a challenge that we're capable of doing.

"You know, going into a tough building and winning a hockey game is something that this group has done all year and something that we feel like we can do again.”

Canadiens coach Martin St. Louis stressed the importance of momentum in deciding a playoff series. The Hall of Fame forward won the Stanley Cup with the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2004, and his experiences as a player bolster his belief that Montreal can come back to win the series against Washington.

"We have to win one game,” St. Louis said. "For me, playoffs are all about momentum. How you can go get momentum and keep it for a long time. We're going to have to go get it and keep it.

"I feel all year we've had that mentality where everything looks like it's going the wrong way, so to speak. I feel like we get up and speak.”