Montreal improved each season, and this year, it clinched an Eastern Conference playoff spot. Namely, Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield have emerged as stars. Meanwhile, goaltender Sam Montembeault is a stout Stanley Cup betting odds
goaltender. Finally, the payoff has come for the Montreal Canadiens. Since a fluke appearance in the 2021 Stanley Cup Final, the Canadiens have been in a painful rebuild that has kept them out of the postseason. But with the hiring of Martin St. Louis during the 2021-22 season, the Canadiens started to move upwards methodically.
2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs First Round Preview: Washington Capitals vs. Montreal Canadiens
| Date and Time: | Monday, April 21, 2025, 7 PM ET. |
|---|---|
| Location: | Capital One Arena, Washington, DC |
| TV Coverage: | ESPN |
| Team | Spread | Total | ML | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Montreal Canadiens | +1½ -158 | 6 -108 | +165 |  |
| Washington Capitals | -1½ +138 | 6 -108 | -186 | |
| ||||
Montreal Canadiens Series Schedule
- Game 1: Canadiens at Capitals, Monday, April 21, 7, ESPN
- Game 2: Canadiens at Capitals, Wednesday, April 23, 7, ESPN
- Game 3: Capitals at Canadiens, Friday, April 25, 7, TNT, truTV, Max
- Game 4: Capitals at Canadiens, Sunday, April 27, 6:30, TBS, truTV, Max
- Game 5: Canadiens at Capitals, Wednesday, April 30, TBD
- Game 6: Capitals at Canadiens, Friday, May 2, TBD
- Game 7: Canadiens/at Capitals, Sunday, May 4, TBD
Montreal Canadiens Head Coach
Head coach Martin St. Louis had a Hall of Fame career with the Tampa Bay Lightning as an RW. He was a member of the Lightning in 2004 when they won the Stanley Cup. St. Louis took over as head coach of the Montreal Canadiens during the 2021-22 season. To summarize, he has a career record of 114-131-36. And he has overseen a dramatic sports betting in play and production.
Montreal Canadiens Goaltenders
Number one goaltender Sam Montembeault was 16-15-9 with a 3.14 goals against average and a .903 save percentage last season. Correlate, he has been the Canadiens’ top netminder for the past three seasons. This season, Montembeault has a 2.83 goals against average and a .901 save percentage. His record is 30-24-7 with four shutouts.
Montreal Key Players
Last year, Nick Suzuki led the Canadiens with 33 goals, 44 assists, 77 points, and a -14. Suzuki, age 24, began his career with the Canadiens in 2019. Suzuki is coming off the best season of his career. Also, he has played in the All-Star game the past three seasons. This season, Suzuki leads the team with 29 goals, 58 assists, 87 points, and a +15.
Last year, RW Cole Caufield, 23, of the University of Wisconsin, added 28 goals, 37 assists, 37 points, and a -4. He is also coming off the best season of his career. Caufield added 37 goals, 32 assists, and 69 points this season.
Additionally, D Lane Hutson added six goals, 59 assists, and 65 points this season.
Canadiens Record, Metrics & History
Montreal had NHL rankings of 17th for goals scored and 21st for power play efficiency. In comparison on defense, the Canadiens had NHL rankings of 23rd for goals against and 10th for penalty killing.
To conclude the regular season, the Montreal Canadiens were 40-31-11 straight up and 40-36-6 over/under the NHL Playoff betting odds total. As a result, Montreal was also 8th in the Eastern Conference playoff standings, 20 points behind the Washington Capitals.
The Canadiens have a host of Hockey Hall of Famers. The late great head coach, Toe Blake, is often referred to as the Vince Lombardi of hockey. At the same time, former head coach Scotty Bowman is in the conversation as the GOAT of that position.
The Canadiens are the most distinguished, storied, and successful franchise in National Hockey League history. Le Bleu-Blanc-Rouge has an NHL record 24 Stanley Cup championships. However, the Habs have won only two Cups since 1979 (1986 and 1993), as the expansion era made for greater league parity. Les Glorieux has retired 15 numbers for 18 players.