Montreal Canadiens vs Washington Capitals Prediction, Preview and Odds - 04/21/2025

Game Time: 7:00 pm ET, Monday, April 21, 2025

Venue:  Capital One Arena, Washington, DC

Where to Watch:  ESPN

DraftKings:  Moneyline:  Canadiens +170, Capitals -205; Over/Under:  5.5 goals

Bet365:  Moneyline:  Canadiens +165, Capitals -200; Over/Under:  5.5 goals

BetMGM:  Moneyline:  Canadiens +170, Capitals -205; Over/Under:  5.5 goals

Montreal Canadiens:  40-31-11 (5th place, Atlantic Division)

Washington Capitals:  51-22-9 (1st place, Metropolitan Division)

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Montreal Canadiens:  7-1-2 last 10

Washington Capitals:  4-6-0 last 10

The Canadiens are entering the playoffs with 91 points, a 40-31-11 record overall, and they were 17-19-5 in their road games this season where they will be in this game. They are entering this game off a win against the Carolina Hurricanes in their last game, winning that one at home 4-2. Kaiden Guhle led the team in goals scored with 2 while Nick Suzuki and Jake Evans each scored 1 goal for them in that one. Nick Suzuki, Alexandre Carrier, Cole Caufield, Lane Hutson, and Juraj Slafkovský each led the team in assists with 1 while Kaiden Guhle and Nick Suzuki each led the team in shots on net in that game with 3. Sam Montembeault was the starting goalie in that game and he allowed 2 goals on 29 shots with 27 saves and a .931 save percentage. Their offense has scored 245 goals this season averaging 3 goals per game and their defense has allowed their opponents to score 265 goals against them allowing 3.2 goals per game.

The Capitals are entering the playoffs with 111 points, a 51-22-9 record overall, and they were 26-9-6 in their home games this season where they will be in this game. They are entering this game off a loss against the Pittsburgh Penguins in their last game, losing that one on the road 5-2. Connor McMichael and Alexander Ovechkin each scored 1 goal for them in that one. Pierre-Luc Dubois, Dylan Strome, and Tom Wilson each led the team in assists with 1 while Lars Eller led the team in shots on net in that game with 3. Clay Stevenson was the starting goalie in that game and he allowed 5 goals on 38 shots with 33 saves and a .868 sv percentage. Their offense has scored 288 goals this season averaging 3.5 goals per game and their defense has allowed their opponents to score 232 goals against them allowing 2.8 goals per game.

The current betting odds have the Capitals listed as a favorite in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. This is game 1 of a 7 game series between the 1st seeded Capitals from the Metropolitan Division and the 2nd Wild Card seeded Canadiens from the Atlantic Division for the 1st round of the NHL playoffs. The Capitals have looked great in their games this season with a record that had them at the top of the East all year with one of the best records in the entire NHL. They have also looked great on home ice this season with one of the best home records in the East. Meanwhile, The Canadiens have looked good in their games this season with a record that got them into the last Wild Card spot in the East, but they needed to play right to the end of the season to get it. They haven't really been a good road team this year either with a losing road record. The Canadiens have definitely been the hotter team to end the season, but a big reason for that is because they hadn't clinched a spot yet and needed to play right to their final game of the season. The Capitals haven't looked good lately, but they have had the number 1 seed locked up for a while and have been resting players since Ovechkin also got his record. The Canadiens have been playing playoff hockey over the last few weeks, but even when they needed to win most, they ended up losing 2 of their last 3 games to end the season when they could have clinched their Wild Card spot earlier. This is also their first playoff appearance in a few years so they don't have a lot of experience to lean on here, and the Capitals are the much better team. The best way to place a bet here is on the Capitals to win this game and on the puckline. 

Canadiens Capitals Prediction:  Our NHL Pick for Monday, April 21, 2025 (7:00 pm ET start time) is Capitals 5 Canadiens 2.

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Montreal Canadiens: 28-34 (+8.9 units) on the moneyline as a road underdog of +100 to +200. 53-67 (+8.6 units) on the moneyline after playing a home game. 21-32 (+11.3 units) on the moneyline when playing against a good team (Win Pct. 60% to 75%). 30-22 UNDER when playing against a good team (Win Pct. 60% to 75%).

Washington Capitals: 39-24 (-7.4 units) on the moneyline as a home favorite. 19-27 (-13.1 units) on the moneyline off a road blowout loss by 3 goals or more. 61-48 (-10.9 units) on the moneyline when playing against a team with a losing record. 12-5 UNDER off a road loss against a division rival.

Montreal Canadiens:  K. Dach (C) Out For Season - Lower Body.

Washington Capitals:  L. Thompson (G) Day To Day - Upper Body. A. Protas (C) Out - Foot. S. Milano (LW) Out - Upper-body. N. Backstrom (C) Out For Season - Hip. T. Oshie (RW) Out For Season - Back.

“We believe in each other, that we’re not just going to roll over against the first seed, so I’m excited for the opportunity.” - Nick Suzuki after their win against the Hurricanes in their regular season finale. 

“We’re just getting through the game, to be honest with you. Moving forward and getting ready for Montreal.” - Spencer Carbery after his team’s loss against the Penguins in their regular season finale.

LW Cole Caufield

C Nick Suzuki

RW Juraj Slafkovský

LD Mike Matheson

RD Alexandre Carrier

G Sam Montembeault

LW Alex Ovechkin

C Dylan Strome

RW Anthony Beauvillier

LD Rasmus Sandin

RD John Carlson

G Charlie Lindgren

Points: N. Suzuki (89)

Goals: C. Caufield (37)

Assists: L. Hutson (60)

GAA: J. Dobes (2.74)

Points: D. Strome (82)

Goals: A. Ovechkin (44)

Assists: D. Strome (53)

GAA: L. Thompson (2.49)

Coaches:

Montreal Canadiens: Martin St. Louis (3rd season)

Washington Capitals: Spencer Carbery (2nd season)