The Round 1 series between the Washington Capitals and the Montreal Canadiens moves to the Bell Centre in Montreal for Game 3 on Friday night. The Capitals secured wins in both games at the Capital One Arena and can put a chokehold on the series with a victory tonight. However, a Montreal victory would be a confidence boost for the young team. Game 3 will be a battle between a good road team and an excellent home squad. Washington won 61% of their road games this season, while Montreal was equally dominant at home at 23-12-6, or a 56% success rate. How the Capitals deal with the electric Canadiens’ home environment will be a significant factor in Game 3, but they may be getting reinforcements to help them out. Protas Return “Possible” for Washington Game 3 According to NHL.com’s Dan Rosen, Capitals forward Aliaksei Protas participated in Friday’s morning skate. It was the 24-year-old’s first skate with the team since he was hurt on April 4 against the Chicago Blackhawks, the night Alex Ovechkin tied Wayne Gretzky’s 894 goals record. Aliaksei Protas, Washington Capitals (Jess Starr/The Hockey Writers) Protas’ return would be a big boost to Washington’s lineup, adding another secondary scoring threat for Montreal to contain. The 2019 third-round pick scored 30 goals and recorded 66 points in 76 games this season – double his previous career-high of 29 points through 78 games in 2023-24. The Belarusian center has also seen his ice time increase this season, averaging 16:27 per game (TOI/G) compared to 13:45 TOI/G last season. Capitals Must Survive Opening 10 Minutes at Bell Centre If you want to know what to expect from the Montreal crown tonight, just think back to the 4 Nations Face-Off clash between USA and Canada in mid-February. While USA disappointed the Bell Centre crowd by winning 3-1, the atmosphere was electric from start to finish. The raucous pre-game celebration was followed up with three fights in the first nine seconds before an actual hockey game broke out. Saturday Night at the Bell Centre nothing beats it #4nations pic.twitter.com/htHAp892Vb — Jim Biringer (@JimBiringer) February 16, 2025 That scene on Feb. 15 featured a crowd filled with proud Canadians supporting their home country. This will be the first time in almost a decade that every seat in the Bell Centre will greet its hockey team in the playoffs. While the Canadiens were the first to offer tickets to the public following the COVID-19 pandemic, the Canadian government limited attendance to 3,500 fans, or 16.5% of the 21,105 capacity. The Canadiens earned their only win of that 2021 Stanley Cup Final in Game 4 on a Josh Anderson overtime goal in front of the home crowd. The Tampa Bay Lightning lifted the Stanley Cup following a Game 5 win to claim the series, 4-1. With a packed Bell Centre in a playoff situation for the first time in almost a decade, the Canadiens will be looking to seize the momentum that type of excitement creates. Washington must maintain composure in a supercharged environment by avoiding mistakes in the game’s opening minutes before the playoff contests can settle into a normal postseason rhythm. Thompson Requires Better Support in the Third Period Logan Thompson has been excellent in denying offensive surges from Montreal in this series. The Canadiens controlled the play in the third period of both games in Washington, firing 14 shots at Thompson in the third period in each game. The 6-foot-4 netminder only allowed two goals on 28 shots in the final frames combined. Related: 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs Round 1 Hub Washington enters Game 3 with an opportunity to take complete control of the series with a win. The Capitals held an advantage on the scoreboard in each game before watching the Canadiens pepper Thompson with shots. Montreal tied the game late in Game 1 but watched Ovechkin steal the series opener in overtime. Game 2 was the Thompson show, and when coupled with the Canadiens’ inability to get the puck across the thin red line, Washington held on for the 3-1 win. The Capitals would be wise not to rely solely on their goaltending to power a Game 3 victory by continuing to push for offense in the third period.