The Capitals will have Aliaksei Protas in tow as they travel to Montreal. (Sammi Silber- The Hockey News) [https://deweb-519a7.b-cdn.net/post-images/7e00edb2-612d-4b38-adc6-0d05d8b51c5d.jpeg] The Capitals will have Aliaksei Protas in tow as they travel to Montreal. (Sammi Silber- The Hockey News) The Washington Capitals are feeling confident after going up 2-0 against the Montreal Canadiens to open the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs, but they know they have to keep their foot on the gas as they head up north for the first road games of the postseason. Fortunately, they may have a major asset close to rejoining the mix, as Aliaksei Protaswill be traveling with the team to Montreal as he continues to progress in his recovery from a skate cut to the foot he suffered on April 4. Protas skated again on Thursday in a regular jersey, getting in skills work with coach Kenny McCudden. It marks the fifth consecutive day he's skated and the second day he's been in a regular jersey after being in a powder-blue, non-contact jersey. The 23-year-old still has yet to join the group for a full practice, but appears to be heading in a positive direction. Getting him back will be a major boost, as he plays a pivotal role on the top-6 at five-on-five and logs key minutes on the penalty kill. Beyond their roster, the Capitals are also zeroing in on cleaning up different areas of the game, including third periods, as Montreal has come back with a vengeance in the final 20 minutes to try and put D.C. in a tough spot. Logan Thompson has been able to hold down the fort, but it is an area the team needs to tighten up in, especially away from home. "We struggled to handle Montreal’s pressure... and as the temperature rose in the game and as we struggled with that, it started to snowball and we made more mistakes and more poor reads," coach Spencer Carbery siad, adding, "One thing is executing through the pressure, and the second thing is not letting it snowball." Washington faces the Canadiens in Game 3 at Bell Centre on Friday.
