Washington Capitals News

Thompson nearly stole Game 1 for the Capitals, stopping 31 of the 33 shots he faced in the 2-1 overtime loss. After a breakout season in Washington, Thompson has arguably been the standout goaltender of the 2025 NHL Playoffs, posting a 4-2-0 record, a .926 SV%, and a 2.17 GAA. He'll need to be at his very best again on Thursday if he wants to guide his team to a bounce back victory in Game 2, as the Capitals enter action at +135 on the money line.

Lindgren was projected to serve as the backup on Thursday, but was a late scratch due to personal family reasons. Mitchell Gibson will dress and back up Logan Thompson in his place.

Leonard only has one assist through six playoff games this offseason and is expected to be a healthy scratch for Taylor Raddysh ahead of Game 2 on Thursday. The 20-year-old right-winger has 15 total NHL games under his belt and has a goal and an assist during that span.

Thompson stopped 28 of 29 shots in the Capitals' Game 5 win over the Canadiens. Thompson was outstanding in Round 1, going 4-1 with a 2.23 GAA and .923 SV% in five games. Tonight he'll face the Hurricanes in Game 1. He only played vs. Carolina once this season. Thompson allowed three goals on 12 shots in that game before leaving with an injury that would cost him the rest of the regular season.

Protas has not played since suffering a foot injury on April 4th but appears set to make his 2024-25 postseason debut in Game 5 after being a game-time decision the past three contests. The 24-year-old Protas had 66 points (30G / 36A) in 76 games this season

After leaving Game 4 due to an injury, Thompson powered through Game 5, saving 16 of 18 shots (.889 SV%) in a 5-2 win, and will return to the crease for Game 5. The 28-year-old Thompson has a 2.54 GAA and .912 SV% through four games (3-1) this postseason. The Capitals enter Game 5 with a 3-1 series lead, attempting to be the second team to advance to the second round of the playoffs. They enter the action on Tuesday as -177 home favorites against a Montreal Canadiens team that has scored three or fewer goals each game in this series.

Protas has not played since suffering a foot injury on April 4th but could make his 2024-25 postseason debut in Game 5 after being a game-time decision the past three contests. The 24-year-old Protas had 66 points (30G / 36A) in 76 games this season

After leaving Game 4 due to an injury, Thompson powered through Game 5, saving 16 of 18 shots (.889 SV%) in a 5-2 win, and will likely return to the crease for Game 5. The 28-year-old Thompson has a 2.54 GAA and .912 SV% through four games (3-1) this postseason. The Capitals enter Game 5 with a 3-1 series lead, attempting to be the second team to advance to the second round of the playoffs. They enter the action on Tuesday as -177 home favorites against a Montreal Canadiens team that has scored three or fewer goals each game in this series.

Protas has not played since suffering a foot injury on April 4th but could make his 2024-25 postseason debut in Game 5 after being a game-time decision the past three contests. The 24-year-old Protas had 66 points (30G / 36A) in 76 games this season.

Protas last appeared on April 4th due to a foot injury but has been travelling with Washington for their first-round series vs. Montreal and is a game-time decision to return for Game 3 on Friday. The 24-year-old took a massive step forward in his fourth NHL season in 2024-25, with 30 goals, 60 points and a +40 plus/minus in 76 games played.

Protas last appeared on April 4th due to a foot injury but has been travelling with Washington for their first-round series vs. Montreal and is a game-time decision to return for Game 3 on Friday. The 24-year-old took a massive step forward in his fourth NHL season in 2024-25, with 30 goals, 60 points and a +40 plus/minus in 76 games played.

Unsurprisingly, Thompson will make his third straight start as Washington looks to take a further 3-0 stranglehold on their series vs. Montreal on Friday. The 28-year-old has continued his in-season success by becoming nearly unbeatable in the playoffs thus far, with his 2-0-0 record, .951 SV% and 1.47 GAA. He'll face the tough task of Montreal at home on Friday, who were 23-12-6 at the Bell Centre this season.

Protas missed the final six games of the regular season and the first two games of the playoffs due to a laceration on his foot, but appears to be nearing a return to the lineup as he was a game-time decision on Wednesday. The 24-year-old Protas scored an impressive 66 points (30G / 36A) in 76 games this season.

The Capitals had a dramatic 3-2 overtime win over the Montreal Canadiens in Game 1 and will roll with Thompson between the pipes on Wednesday for Game 2. Thompson was excellent in Game 1, his first game in nearly three weeks, perfect through two periods and saving 33 of 35 shots (.943 SV%) in the victory. The 28-year-old Thompson made his playoff debut last season with the Vegas Golden Knights and improved his career totals to a 2.27 GAA and .926 SV% in five games (3-2-0). The Capitals enter Game 2 as -172 home favorites against the Canadiens.