The NHL released the schedule for the Washington Capitals’ first-round playoff series against the Montreal Canadiens.
The first two games of the series begin on Monday and Wednesday at Capital One Arena. The Caps and Habs will then travel to Montreal for Games 3 and 4 on Friday and and Sunday.
The Capitals hold home ice in the series (Games 1, 2, 5, and 7) after winning both the Metropolitan Division and Eastern Conference.
FULL SCHEDULE
Game 1
Monday, April 21 – 7 p.m.
Capital One Arena
Monumental Sports Network, ESPN
Game 2
Wednesday, April 23 – 7 p.m.
Capital One Arena
Monumental Sports Network, ESPN
Game 3
Friday, April 25 – 7 p.m.
Bell Centre
Monumental Sports Network, TNT, truTV, Max
Game 4
Sunday, April 27 – 6:30 p.m.
Bell Centre
Monumental Sports Network, TBS, truTV, Max
Game 5
Wednesday, April 30 – TBD
Capital One Arena
Monumental Sports Network, TBD
* If necessary
Game 6
Friday, May 2 – TBD
Bell Centre
Monumental Sports Network, TBD
*If necessary
Game 7
Sunday, May 4 – TBD
Capital One Arena
Monumental Sports Network, TBD
*If necessary
The Capitals learned Montreal would be their opponent after the Canadiens defeated the Carolina Hurricanes 4-2 on Wednesday night, clinching the second and final wild card spot in the East.
The Capitals won two of three games (2-0-1) against the Canadiens during the regular season, outscoring them 12-8. Their only loss came in overtime on Jan. 10 when Nick Suzuki beat Logan Thompson 1:15 into sudden death. Alex Ovechkin had three points in the season series (1 goal, 2 assists).
NHL Announces 2025 Stanley Cup First Round Schedule & Broadcast Information
Caps will face Canadiens in Game 1 on Monday at 7 p.m. at Capital One Arena
All first-round games to be available regionally on Monumental Sports Network
ARLINGTON, Va. – The National Hockey League announced today the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs First Round schedule and broadcast information between the Washington Capitals and the Montreal Canadiens, which begins Monday, April 21 at 7 p.m. at Capital One Arena. All First Round games will be televised on Monumental Sports Network (MNMT).
Washington will host Game 1, Game 2 and if necessary, Game 5 and Game 7 in the Eastern Conference First Round.
A limited number of individual game tickets for all possible home games of the First Round of the Washington Capitals 2025 Playoffs series are now available via Ticketmaster.com. Capitals fans are encouraged to make their ticket purchases directly from the team. Only tickets purchased through the team are guaranteed to be valid. Fans can purchase their tickets through any Ticketmaster sales channel and also through NHL Ticket Exchange. NHL Ticket Exchange is the only guaranteed secondary ticket reseller, and all tickets purchased on NHL Ticket Exchange are verified by Ticketmaster. For more information on Capitals tickets contact 202-266-CAPS or visit WashingtonCaps.com
Monumental Sports Network’s (MNMT) First Round coverage will include live broadcasts of all games and hour-long pre- and postgame programs. The Capitals broadcast booth during the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs will feature Emmy Award-winning play-by-play announcer Joe Beninati and game analyst Craig Laughlin. The fan-favorite duo, who are wrapping up their 28th consecutive season together, will be joined by rinkside reporter Al Koken, who will continue to provide exclusive in-game interviews and updates during playoff games on MNMT. Capitals shoulder programming during the playoffs will feature MNMT analysts Alan May, Bruce Boudreau, Brent Johnson, Devante Smith-Pelly, Tarik El-Bashir, and Karl Alzner with Beninati, Laughlin, and Koken contributing to coverage. Russ Thaler of CBS Sports, the Tennis Channel, and previously CSN Mid-Atlantic will continue to serve as temporary host as Alexa Landestoy is on maternity leave.
If the Capitals progress past the First Round, MNMT will continue to offer fans in the DMV region robust gameday coverage of the Capitals playoff run. MNMT will surround all Capitals playoff games with live hour-long editions of Capitals Pregame Live and Capitals Postgame Live broadcast from MNMT’s state-of-the-art studios. Special editions of Caps Rink Report Live featuring John Walton and Tarik El-Bashir will also stream live on the state-of-the-art Monumental+ app (M+) at 12 PM ET on all Capitals playoff game days.
Capitals playoffs coverage on MNMT will be available to local fans both on linear tv and via streaming platforms within the network’s coverage area, stretching from Richmond to Delaware. Capitals fans can watch the games through their TV provider, on monumentalplus.com, or by downloading the M+ app on iOS, Android, Apple TV, Roku, and Amazon Fire TV and using an eligible TV Everywhere log-in.
For fans without a TV provider, MNMT offers direct-to-consumer (DTC) subscription memberships for viewers seeking to access MNMT’s live and on-demand programming. Fans can purchase monthly or annual memberships at monumentalplus.com or by downloading the M+ app.
All Capitals playoff games will broadcast on 106.7 The Fan and on the 24-hour radio channel, Caps Radio 24/7, devoted specifically to the Capitals with play-by-play announcer John Walton, analyst Ken Sabourin and radio host Katie Florio calling the action. In addition to broadcasting all games, Caps Radio 24/7 will continue to provide instant news and access to the Capitals, including live game audio, exclusive Capitals playoff-related hockey content throughout the day. Listen at capsradio247.com
The Capitals were the first team to clinch a berth in the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs. The Capitals, who qualified for last year’s postseason after winning their final regular-season game, are the only team since 1979-80 that has gone from being the last team to clinch a playoff spot in one season to the first team to do so the next season. Washington has qualified for the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the 10th time in the last 11 seasons and the 34th time in the franchise’s 50-year history. Since 2007-08, no team has made the playoffs more than Washington (16 playoff appearances in 18 seasons). In addition, the Capitals have qualified for the Stanley Cup Playoffs 34 times in the last 42 seasons dating to 1982-83, which is tied with the Boston Bruins for the most playoff appearances in the NHL in that span.
Led by captain Alex Ovechkin and fellow franchise cornerstones John Carlson and Tom Wilson, the Capitals secured the franchise’s 14th division title and fifth first-place finish in the Eastern Conference in 2024-25. Ovechkin and Wilson, along with Dylan Strome, Pierre-Luc Dubois, Aliaksei Protas and Connor McMichael, spearhead one of the NHL’s highest scoring offenses, while Carlson and the recently extended Jakob Chychrun anchor one of the most productive and stout bluelines in the League. This season, the Capitals had three players score 30 goals for the first time since 2009-10 and six defensemen record 20 points for the first time ever. The goaltending tandem of Logan Thompson and Charlie Lindgren have combined for 51 wins and will look to help Washington capture its second Stanley Cup championship.
