WASHINGTON — The Washington Capitals started off the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs the way they'd hoped, but maybe not in the exact way they mapped out against the  wild card Montreal Canadiens.

After giving up a two-goal lead in the third period, Washington rebounded in overtime for a 3-2 victory, securing a 1-0 series lead.

"We know the blueprint, we know the recipe. We just got to be a little more consistent no matter what the circumstance out there," Tom Wilson said postgame.

Here are some tidbits to know from after the win:

Carbery On Going With Thompson In Net

Logan Thompson played a major role in that win, stopping 33 of 35 shots (.943 save percentage) en route to the victory.

"You can see why they made the playoffs, that team doesn't quit," Thompson said. "In the third they didn't go away. They're a good hockey club, and we got to respect them."

Thompson's start marked his first game since April 2, when he suffered an upper-body injury that led him to miss the remainder of the regular season. Coach Spencer Carbery played his cards close to the vest, not revealing his Game 1 starter until puck drop, and ultimately, decided to go with the 28-year-old in net.

"Coming back from the injury felt like he looked good the last couple of days, felt good. Our goalie coach Scott Murray had a lot of confidence in him and the way he looked and that’s priority number one," Carbery said, adding, "We also have Charlie Lindgren who’s a fantastic goalie and has had a good season as well, we just went and I decided that Logan has had a phenomenal year and deserved to start Game 1 of the playoffs for us.”

Alexeyev Requires 'Significant Dental Work'

Alex Alexeyev had a solid playoff debut; he was physical, moving his feet and making smart decisions with the puck. Unfortunately, it came at a price.

In the dying minutes of regulation, Jake Evans followed through on a clearing attempt and caught Alexeyev in the mouth. He was originally called for high-sticking, a four-minute double minor, but it was overturned when ruled that it was on a follow-through atttempt and not intentional.

Alexeyev went down the tunnel for repairs and returned to the bench for the start of overtime, but will need "significant dental work" following the hit.

Capitals Locker Room Quotes

Tom Wilson on Alex Ovechkin's physicality: "He's a beast. He's a machine. When he's out there creating energy for our team, scoring, he does it all. He does everything. That's what a leader does. It's one thing to be good all season long, but the guys that show up and hit and block shots and lead the team, that's why he's a legend."

John Carlson on what went wrong in the third: “I think, obviously, you expect a huge push from a team when they’re down and they’ve got a lot of talent over there too that can bring it to you and I think we made a few more mistakes. Like you said, in overtime, we kind of it felt more routine to us, the way that we play, the way that we get pucks out and forecheck and move it around and get some chances. I think that was more, obviously, what we did when things were going well and I think we’ve got to find plays throughout those times where they’re coming at us like any team’s going to do when they’re down. So we’ve got to work through those better. A lot of things that we can point to and get better at for sure with the lead."

Alex Ovechkin on the physicality: "Everybody was hitting."