And boom—just like that, it’s Round 2 time! The Washington Capitals punched their golden ticket with a spicy 4-1 dub over the Canadiens, sending Montreal packing and vibes soaring in D.C. Ovi was in full-blown legend mode again, slapping in his fourth goal of the playoffs like he was signing autographs with his stick. Tom Wilson decided to stir the pot and the scoreboard with a goal and a dish, while Logan Thompson turned into a straight-up brick wall in the crease, especially in that wild third period where the Habs tried to throw everything but the Zamboni at him.

From Strome’s slick face-off win to Chychrun’s perfect short-side snipe, the Caps were humming like a well-oiled machine. And even when Heineman gave the Habs a little life, Duhaime came in hot with the empty-net dagger just to wrap it all up with a bow. This squad just won their first playoff series since their 2018 Cup glory, and the buzz is electric. So here’s the million-dollar question: Now that the Caps have punched their ticket to Round 2, who’s stepping up next to dance with Washington in the playoff spotlight?

NHL News lit up X, dropping the big news with a hype-worthy post, “#ALLCAPS win a playoff series for the first time since 2018, defeating #GoHabsGo in 5 games. They face #RaiseUp in Round 2.” And oh, Carolina Hurricanes weren’t shy about letting everyone know they’re ready to rumble, tossing up a simple but fiery message, “Clashing with the Caps.” Let the Hunger Games begin, folks—Round 2’s gonna be lit.

And well, it’s been a hot minute since Washington partied like it’s 2018—yeah, that Cup run kind of magic. And even longer since they got to lock down a series win right in front of their home crowd. But Tom Wilson? He ain’t looking in the rearview. “We’re not looking years back,” he said, with that old-school grit only one of the few OGs from 2015 can pull off. “We want to keep this machine rolling in here. We want to keep these guys dialed in. You always want to win on home ice; you always want to win every game. We’ll be extremely motivated.” Talk about tunnel vision with turbo mode.

The Washington Capitals came in swinging early—bagged the first two Ws at home like it was routine. Sure, Game 3 up in Montreal turned into a circus, 6-3 loss and all, with brawls on the bench and both goalies taking beatings like extras in a movie scene. Bell Centre was rocking for its first playoff madness since 2017. And oh, get this; while that game was straight-up madness, there was a little extra magic sprinkled in worth celebrating too!

Washington Capitals’ star shines with the W!

Mid-game, while the Bell Centre was buzzing louder than a hornet’s nest and the ice felt more like a pressure cooker, the Washington Capitals’ PR team casually dropped a bomb on X: “With his goal, Ovechkin ties Mario Lemieux (76) for the 12th-most playoff goals in NHL history.” Yup, no biggie—just the Great 8 vibing in the rafters with Mario Lemieux like it’s just another Tuesday.

Now let’s talk coach talk. Spencer Carbery pulled no punches when he stepped up to the mic, dropping this gem: “I think that the start of the game is going to be important… We expect their best punch today, and we’re going to need to be ready and we’re going to have [be] our best tonight.” And guess what? The squad heard him loud and clear. Ovi wasted zero time turning that message into fire—he cashed in on a power play with just under 11 to go in the first, dropping the puck in the net like a mic on stage. Washington Capitals up, crowd stunned, vibes immaculate.

At 39, Ovechkin’s not just hanging around, he’s straight-up torching nets and stacking history. With four playoff goals already, he’s tied for fifth among all skaters in the 2025 Stanley Cup race. Two more, and he’s side-by-side with Jaromir Jagr in the record books. Three? Hello, Jean Beliveau territory. Oh, and if you missed it earlier this month, Ovi already broke Wayne Gretzky’s all-time goals record with No. 895 and tossed in a few more before the regular season curtain closed. Just casual GOAT things.