The Montreal Canadiens were eliminated by the Washington Capitals ( Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images).
The Montreal Canadiens lost Game 5 of their 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs matchup on Wednesday night. As a result, the team is heading home and gearing up for the offseason ahead. Meanwhile, the Washington Capitals are moving on to round two.
Playoff defeats always bring a downtrodden feeling. This is certainly no different for Montreal. However, there is also a sense of pride running through the Canadiens players who spoke with the media following their Game 5 loss.
“Extremely proud of everyone for where we started the season to where we are now,” captain Nick Suzuki said, via CBC reporter Daniel Rainbird. “It felt like we could keep going, it felt like we could have won any of these games. It sucks right now, it sucks a lot. But I’m really proud of the guys and everything that they’ve learned this year.”
Canadiens’ Martin St. Louis Discusses Development Years
The Canadiens certainly did not make the playoffs overnight. Prior to 2025, their last playoff appearance came in 2021. Outside of any COVID-shortened seasons, their last playoff appearance was 2017. This was a gradual process that had to be carefully cultivated by the front office.
There were some dreadful seasons in between playoff appearances, as well. The Canadiens finished last in the Atlantic Division three years running before the 2024-25 campaign. Montreal even won the 2022 NHL Draft Lottery, which allowed them to take winger Juraj Slafkovsky at the top of the 2022 draft.
Head coach Martin St. Louis has been with this team through all of it. He was appointed head coach in 2021-22 and helped navigate this rebuild. Through it all, he saw the drive each of these players had to get better than they were the last game.
“Last couple years, we were developing, learning how we were going to play together. This year, there’s a transition to learning how to win,” St. Louis said, via Rainbird. “It took us some setbacks to really drive that home a little bit, but there was a full commitment. You saw us coming gradually. We still had some setbacks here and there but we would bounce higher from that.”
Montreal Earns Respect Through Playoff Battle
Normally, the team that wins a playoff series takes time to talk about the battles ahead. For the Capitals, this battle is with the Carolina Hurricanes. Carolina defeated the New Jersey Devils in Game 5 of their series on Tuesday night to advance.
However, members of the Capitals made it a point to talk about the Canadiens, as well. They mentioned how hard the Habs played throughout the series. While they were going home, the Canadiens announced themselves well this postseason.
“Huge respect to that hockey team over there,” said Capitals winger Tom Wilson, via Rainbird. “It was hard, I’ll tell you firsthand. I had a lot of stuff coming my way, and they were hitting and we were hitting and I enjoyed a really exciting series.”
The Capitals and Hurricanes must await the conclusion of other first-round matchups around the NHL to know when they will face each other. As for the Canadiens, the offseason awaits, as do the questions that come along with it.
Tristin McKinstry Tristin has over 10 years experience writing at various blogs. He has spent the last three years gaining professional experience in the sports media world. He currently works with ClutchPoints and Pro Football & Sports Network alongside Heavy Sports. More about Tristin McKinstry
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