The Montreal Canadiens visit the Washington Capitals in Game 5 of the first-round, best-of-7 series in the Stanley Cup Playoffs Friday.

Andrei Vasilevskiy has been exceptional coming off a loss in the playoffs, and we expect the former Vezina winner to play a pivotal role in keeping Tampa alive in Game 5.

Aliaksei Protas could play for the Capitals in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference First Round against the Montreal Canadiens on Wednesday (7 p.m. ET; MNMT, ESPN, SNP, SNO, SNE, TVAS, CBC), but coach Spencer Carbery would not commit to that Monday.

Pregame analysis and predictions of the Montreal Canadiens vs. Washington Capitals NHL game to be played on April 30, 2025 on ESPN.

Things are getting increasingly testy in the first-round playoff series between the Washington Capitals and the Montreal Canadiens

From big hits to post-whistle scrums and even shenanigans during pregame warmups, things are getting increasingly testy in the NHL first-round playoff series between the Washington Capitals and the Montreal Canadiens.