The Capitals will host the Canadiens for Game 1 on Monday. (Geoff Burke — imagn Images) [https://deweb-519a7.b-cdn.net/post-images/56e7f44b-5c00-4738-863f-e73b4d2abfe0.jpeg] The Capitals will host the Canadiens for Game 1 on Monday. (Geoff Burke — imagn Images) WASHINGTON — The Washington Capitals will officially kick off the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs on Monday against the Montreal Canadiens. The NHL released the team's full first-round schedule on Thursday, with Game 1 taking place at 7 p.m. at Capital One Arena on Monday. Game 2 will be on Wednesday in D.C. at 7 p.m., followed by Games 3 and 4 at Bell Centre in Montreal on Friday at 7 p.m. and Sunday at 6:30 p.m. Games 1 and 2 will be broadcast on ESPN and Sportsnet, and Games 3 and 4 will be broadcast on TNT and Sportsnet. All games will also be simulcast on Monumental Sports Network. If necessary, Games 5, 6 and 7 will take place in April 30, May 2 and May 4, with times to be determined. Washington was the first team to clinch a spot in the Stanley Cup Playoffs this season after taking all 82 games last season to qualify. The Canadiens were in a similar boat to last year's Capitals, becoming the final team in the league to qualify for the postseason and clinching the final playoff spot in the East with a 4-2 win over the Carolina Hurricanes in their regular season finale on Wednesday. The last time these two teams faced off in the postseason was in 2010, when Jaroslav Halak helped Montreal surge back from a 3-1 deficit to eliminate Washington, who'd won the Presidents' Trophy, in seven games. This season, the Capitals went 2-0-1 against the Canadiens in their regular-season series, with Tom Wilson leading the team in scoring with three goals.
