Jaroslav Halak was huge again for the Habs, stopping 41 shots while Marc Andre Bergeron made the most of his limited ice time, scoring on the powerplay, with unlikely hero Dominic Moore scoring the game winning goal for the visitors. Despite a significant advantage in the shot department the Caps struggled to find a way past Halak. Alex Ovechkin saw a goal waved off after Mike Knuble was adjudged to have interfered with Canadiens netminder, Alex Semin hit the cross bar early in the game and Jason Chimera missed a good opportunity in the 3rd period as the Capitals crashed out on home ice.
The Caps high powered offence scored just 1 powerplay goal on 33 chances during the series and saw Halak stop 131 of 134 shots in the final three games of the series, leaving Washington players and fans alike speechless as Montreal now prepare for a series with defending Stanley Cup champs Pittsburgh.
What is more remarkable is that the Canadiens are the first 8th seed to come back from 3-1 down in a series to beat the top seeds since the play-off format changed in 1994, as well as it being only the second time the franchise has done it in 16 previous attempts throughout its storied history. Even Caps coach Bruce Boudreau admitted after the game he would have bet his house on the Capitals being able to finish the Canadiens off and continue their march towards the Stanley Cup.
Instead it will be the Canadiens who must now prepare for another of hockeys superstars, Sidney Crosby, as they get ready for game 1 against the Penguins on Friday.
Contact the author: rob.mcgregor@prohockeynews.com
