Alex Ovechkin powers the Washington Capitals towards a pivotal Game 3 battle against the Montreal Canadiens

An atmosphere of playoff games will inundate Montreal when the city plays host to the Washington Capitals in the third match of the best-of-seven series. The Capitals are now up, two games to zero, and this game at the Bell Centre opens the possibility for the Canadiens to regroup and light a fire in front of their home fans. It's been a while since a team stepped into the playoffs again, most recently in the 2020-21 season, while Montreal tries to bring that fighting spirit to avoid slipping into an almost insurmountable hole.

Washington scored with experience and potential in the first two games. In Game 1, Alex Ovechkin would add an entry--real big. He scored his first career playoff overtime goal, which is now a classic moment out of an already legendary career. This goal took the Capitals into a 3-to-2 lead and gave them control at the starting point of the journey.

Another one of those performances made Game 2 memorable, as Connor McMichael added two goals to the tally and a 3-1 victory. His speed and crisp instincts in front of the net showed a new dimension to Washington's attack. The team last featured as contenders during a regular season that ended with high-decibel counts. From there, the consistency, as well as the confidence, that was formerly lacking in recent postseasons emerged.

On the other hand, they were the Montreal Canadiens, searching for answers in the face of a baffling Game 2 performance. As it turned out, scoring by Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield in Game 1 did not suffice to pressurize the team for a full 60 minutes. This is the game-the-party to turn it around and make a great show in front of a roaring home crowd, who live off passion, because the response must be so much faster and stronger to keep short-circuiting the series.
It comes tonight at 7 pm ET on TNT, with streaming on Sling TV. The game will speak the calls of Alex Faust, Jennifer Botterill, and Tarik El-Bashir the whole way through.
Also Read: “A goal is a goal”: Alex Ovechkin marks first overtime playoff goal with a reminder
As the action of Game 3 unfolds in Montreal, the Washington Capitals now have a second chance to tighten their grip on the series while the Montreal Canadiens try to preserve their meager hopes of making the playoffs. If they are to muster an effort worthy enough of switching places with Washington and have this be their first victory of the series, now would be the time.