The top team in the Eastern Conference, the Washington Capitals, will begin their quest for Stanley Cup glory with a Round 1 matchup against the Montreal Canadiens, starting on Monday, April 21, at Capital One Arena. While this is Montreal’s first playoff appearance since 2021, Washington has been bounced in Round 1 in their last five visits to the postseason. The Capitals’ veteran locker room will have to stop the momentum of a young Canadiens squad, but here are a few things Washington can focus on to ensure they are smiling during the handshake line at the end of Round 1. A Balanced Capitals Attack Fills the Net With Pucks The Capitals feature two point-per-game (PPG) players this season: Alex Ovechkin (1.12 PPG) and Dylan Strome (1.00). Alongside his quest to overtake the all-time NHL scoring record, Ovechkin contributed to Washington’s success with 73 points in 64 games. Strome finished with 82 points in 82 games, including a team-leading 53 assists. The Capitals bring a ton of offensive firepower, with Ovechkin’s 44 goals leading the way, followed by Wilson (33), Aliaksei Protas (30), Strome (29), Connor McMichael (26), and Pierre-Luc Dubois (20). Protas is recovering from a cut to his left foot suffered on April 4 against the Chicago Blackhawks. However, head coach Spencer Carbery said on April 13 that he expects Protas to “be out a bit longer” but is hopeful to get him back on the ice “at some point this week.” Aliaksei Protas, Washington Capitals (Jess Starr/The Hockey Writers) Washington scored the second-most goals per game in the NHL this season at 3.49, trailing only the Tampa Bay Lightning’s mark of 3.56. The Canadiens allowed the 10th-most goals in the league at 3.18 goals per contest. The Capitals must direct volume towards Montreal’s goalie, Sam Montembeault, and force their defense to stop their high-powered attack. Shut Down Canadiens Top Line The Canadiens’ offense at 2.96 goals per game has been mediocre this season, mostly generated by the top line of Cole Caufield, Nick Suzuki, and Juraj Slafkovsky. Suzuki is Montreal’s only PPG player, with 89 points in 82 games, or 1.08 PPG. Caufield totaled 70 points in 82 games for a 0.85 PPG average, and Slafkovsky finished with 51 points in 79 games, or 0.64 PPG. Montreal received the bulk of its scoring from its top five scorers – Caufield (37 goals), Suzuki (30), Brendan Gallagher (21), Patrik Laine (20), and Slafkovsky (18). No other forward outside of the top line topped 40 points. There is a steep drop-off to the next Canadiens forward on the list, Gallagher, who scored 38 points in 82 games. Washington’s defense was tied with the Toronto Maple Leafs for eighth in the NHL at 2.79 goals allowed per game. If they can slow down Montreal’s dynamic first line, it will go a long way toward winning their first playoff series since the 2018 Stanley Cup Final. Remove Ivan Demidov’s Time & Space Top prospect Ivan Demidov appeared in the final two games of the Canadiens’ season. The dynamic Russian forward flashed his tantalizing talents with a goal and an assist. However, the NHL playoffs are a different level of intensity from regular-season hockey. During the series, the Capitals must body-check Demidov relentlessly to take away his time and space to create offensive magic. Related: Predicting Ivan Demidov’s Role with the Canadiens Earlier this season, the 19-year-old forward scored 19 goals in 65 regular-season games and three goals in six postseason games against stronger competition in the Kontinental Hockey League. It would be wise for Washington to make Demidov’s life uncomfortable before he finds his scoring touch in the NHL. If there is a Capitals forward in his face every time the 6-foot forward touches the puck, it becomes much more difficult to impact the game significantly. Limit Power Play Chances for Lane Hutson Despite a franchise rookie-record tying 60 assists, Canadiens defenseman Lane Hutson’s 66 points in 82 games put him at 0.80 PPG this season. Hutson was deadly with the man advantage and generated 40% of his assists on the power play. His 24 power-play assists led all rookies. Montreal finished in the league’s bottom half with a 20.1% power play success rate. Washington’s penalty can shut things down if they draw an infraction with the league’s fifth-best penalty kill. If the Capitals can avoid unnecessary trips to the box, they can better neutralize the offensive threat from the Canadiens’ electric rookie defenseman in the series. To win the series, the Capitals must succeed in most, if not all, of the above tasks by stopping the Canadiens’ most potent scoring threats. The series begins at 7 pm EST on April 21 in Washington, D.C., before playoff hockey returns to the Bell Centre next weekend.