NHL: Stanley Cup Playoffs-Montreal Canadiens at Washington Capitals - Source: Imagn — Washington Capitals vs Montreal Canadiens: Game 3 preview, predictions and odds | Stanley Cup Playoffs Round 1, April 25, 2025 - Source: Imagn

Washington Capitals vs Montreal Canadiens: Game 3 preview, predictions and odds | Stanley Cup Playoffs Round 1, April 25, 2025

Modified Apr 26, 2025 13:02 GMT

The Washington Capitals are on the road to play the Montreal Canadiens in Game 3 of the Stanley Cup playoffs on Friday, April 25 at 7 p.m. ET.

Washington won Game 2 3-1 to take a 2-0 series lead over Montreal.

Capitals vs Canadiens: Head-to-head & key stats

Washington went 2-1 against Montreal and is also 2-0 in the playoffs
The Capitals are averaging 3.48 goals per game
Montreal is allowing 3.18 goals per game
The Canadiens are averaging 2.96 goals per game
The Capitals are 25-13-3 on the road
Montreal went 17-19-5 on the road
Washington is allowing 2.79 goals per game

Washington Capitals vs Montreal Canadiens: Preview

Washington is up 2-0 in the series and won Game 2 by a score of 3-1. In Game 2, the Capitals were led by Connor McMichael, who scored two goals, and Dylan Strome had the other goal.

The Capitals will start Logan Thompson, who went 31-6-6 with a 2.49 GAA and a .910 SV%. In his career against Montreal, he's 1-0-1 with a 3.04 GAA and a .889 SV%. In the playoffs, he's 2-0 with a 1.47 GAA and a .951 SV%.

Montreal, meanwhile, is 0-2 but has played well and was in both games. The Canadiens will start Sam Montembeault, who went 31-24-7 with a 2.82 GAA and a .901 SV%. In his career against Washington, he's 2-3 with a 3.49 GAA and a .893 SV%. In the playoffs, Montembeault is 0-1-1 with a 2.49 GAA and a .921 SV%.

In Game 2, the Canadiens were led by Christian Dvorak, who had the lone goal, while Josh Anderson and Brendan Gallagher had the assists. In the playoffs, Lane Hutson has 2 assists, while Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield also scored.

Capitals vs Canadiens: Odds & Prediction

Washington is a -122 favorite while Montreal is a +102 underdog, and the over/under is set at 5.5 goals.

The Capitals can take a 3-0 series lead over Montreal despite it being a 2-0 series lead, the Habs have played well. Montreal will be fired up playing at the Bell Centre as the Habs will get the win here to even up the series.

The Canadiens will get out to an early lead and will hang on for a big win here.

Prediction: Canadiens 3, Capitals 1.

Capitals vs Canadiens: Betting Tips

Tip 1: Montreal ML (+102)

Tip 2: Under 5.5 goals (+102)

About the author

Cole is an NHL, NFL and College Sports reporter at Sportskeeda with over 7 years of experience writing for publications like CBC, USA Today, SMG, BJPENN, Sherdog and SB Nation.

An NHL fan his whole life, Cole played rep hockey in Canada from age 5 until 17 and grew up rooting for Martin St. Louis and the Tampa Bay Lightning. His all-time favorite players are Vincent Lecavalier and Steven Stamkos, while Jon Cooper is his favorite coach of all time.

Cole attended Sheridan College and received his journalism degree in 2019. After decades of watching and reporting, he considers his knowledge of sports as his primary strength. He ensures that the same story has been reported by at least two reputed reporters before creating it.

Cole enjoys playing golf and spending time with friends and family when not reporting breaking stories. His favorite sports moment is from the 2010 Olympics, when Sidney Crosby scored the golden goal in overtime to beat Team USA for the gold medal.

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