Stanley Cup Playoffs action continues Monday with four games, including a pair of series openers. The Washington Capitals are home favorites over the Montreal Canadiens in Game 1 of that series. After winning Game 1 5-3, the Winnipeg Jets are favored in Game 2 over the St. Louis Blues. The Colorado Avalanche won their first game over Dallas (5-1) and are favored again, and the Edmonton Oilers begin their series with the Los Angeles Kings.
Viewing guide for Monday
Watching in person? Get tickets on StubHub.
Montreal Canadiens at Washington Capitals
Series odds: Capitals -250, Canadiens +200
The Montreal Canadiens return to the playoffs for the first time since reaching the Stanley Cup Final in 2021, and they’re up against the Metropolitan Division winners.
The Washington Capitals were the first team to clinch their spot in the postseason and finished with the league’s second-best regular-season record. Alex Ovechkin has held the spotlight all season for his chase to Wayne Gretzky’s all-time goal record, a feat he accomplished with career goal No. 895 on April 6. Ovechkin, 39, finished the regular season third in NHL scoring with 44 goals. The Capitals finished the regular season on a bit of a skid, losing eight of their last 12 games, but the team is putting those struggles behind them.
The Canadiens ended the regular season on a 7-1-2 run with a playoff push that came down to the wire, clinching their spot in the final game of the season. They’re undoubtedly the underdogs against the division leaders, but captain Nick Suzuki and his teammates — including Calder Trophy front-runner Lane Hutson and highly touted newcomer Ivan Demidov — are out to prove everyone wrong, as Arpon Basu writes here.
Expert picks
St. Louis Blues at Winnipeg Jets
Jets lead series 1-0
Series odds: Jets -500, Blues +375
The Whiteout continues in Winnipeg as the Presidents’ Trophy winners host the St. Louis Blues with a 1-0 series lead. Kyle Connor scored the game-winning goal with 1:36 remaining in the Jets’ 5-3 Game 1 win on Saturday.
Backstopped by top goaltender Connor Hellebuyck, the Jets finished as the league’s best regular-season team, but they have much more to prove, especially after last year’s disappointing first-round performance. Murat Ates put it best: “This team was never really going to be judged by its regular season.” Dominant Game 1 performances from Connor and Mark Scheifele are definitely a step in the right direction.
Meanwhile, the Blues were among the hottest teams down the home stretch of the regular season, with the best record in the league since the 4 Nations Face-Off break. How did they do it? Jeremy Rutherford breaks it down here. What are the keys to evening the series? Game management and controlled emotions, says Rutherford.
Expert picks
Colorado Avalanche at Dallas Stars
Avalanche lead series 1-0
Series odds, results: Avalanche -450, Stars +350
The Avalanche took Game 1 against the Stars with a score more disparate (5-1) than the game was. In his postseason debut, goaltender Mackenzie Blackwood allowed only one goal and made 23 saves. He also stopped four shots in 11 seconds in the second period.
In the third period, the Stars were within one after a Roope Hintz goal, but a Devon Toews chip-in put the game away. Then, Nathan MacKinnon, who finished second in points during the regular season (116), scored his second goal of the game. Charlie Coyle finished off the scoring.
Under head coach Pete DeBoer, the Stars have suffered seven losses without a win in series openers, with six of those losses coming at home. For the Stars to win in Game 2, they’ll need more from Mikko Rantanen, who had three shots on goal in Game 1.
Expert picks
Edmonton Oilers at Los Angeles Kings
Series odds: Oilers -115, Kings -105
The Los Angeles Kings and Edmonton Oilers are far from strangers this early in the playoffs, meeting in the first round for the fourth consecutive year. So far, the Oilers have come out on top every time. This year, however, the Kings finished as the No. 2 seed, and home-ice advantage could be a significant advantage against the reigning Stanley Cup finalists.
Los Angeles enters Round 1 with a 31-6-4 record at Crypto.com Arena this season, but will their success at home translate in the postseason? Will Kings goalie Darcy Kuemper’s impressive season carry over, too? Eric Stephens asks the important questions.
Of course, the biggest question is whether the Kings will be able to stop Leon Draisaitl and Connor McDavid. As Daniel Nugent-Bowman points out, the Oilers are going to need more from their star duo than ever before, and hopefully, Stuart Skinner can be the answer they need in net, as the Kings have the upper hand there. Edmonton is also notably missing defenseman Mattias Ekholm due to injury.
Expert picks
Betting/odds, ticketing and streaming links in this article are provided by partners of The Athletic. Restrictions may apply. The Athletic maintains full editorial independence. Partners have no control over or input into the reporting or editing process and do not review stories before publication.
(Photo of Cale Makar and Esa Lindell: Jack Gorman / Getty Images)
