The Canadiens are looking to keep their season alive in a must-win Game 5 matchup tonight against the Capitals. Montreal finds itself as +150 road underdogs on DraftKings Sportsbook with the game total set at O/U 6.5 goals. With Sam Montembeault being considered day-to-day, 23-year-old Jakub Dobes will likely draw his second straight start. Per usual, Logan Thompson will start between the pipes for Washington.
See below for a preview and best bet for tonight’s Game 5 matchup between the Capitals and Canadiens.
Capitals vs. Canadiens Game 5 preview, prediction
Montreal looked rejuvenated in front of its home crowd the past two games but still dropped Game 4 and finds itself in a win-or-go-home situation. With uncertainty around Montembeault and Dobes on top of the series shifting back to Washington for Game 5, Montreal may be in big trouble. Thompson has been one of the stronger postseason goaltenders thus far and the Canadiens’ lack of consistent offense has shown, especially on the road. Among postseason teams, the Habs rank dead last in 5v5 goal percentage.
Down 3-1, the Habs must be willing to make adjustments to steal Game 5 and return to Montreal for Game 6. This series has been relatively low-scoring, featuring just 25 goals across four games. Games 1 and 2 in Washington featured just nine total goals, though, and I’d be willing to bet that trend continues. The Capitals’ first line has accounted for over half of the team’s goals this series and the Habs should be locked in on limiting their chances. One area worth exploiting is the man advantage, which is one bright spot for the Habs this postseason. Their power play unit ranks second while the Capitals’ penalty kill unit ranks second last. Sounds like a mismatch.
Capitals vs. Canadiens Game 5 pick, best bet
I don’t know… something about the Canadiens just draws me in. They’ve carried an underdog mentality all season and barely squeaked into the postseason. Games 1 and 2 were competitive and Montreal had some bad luck and missed chances. Dobes struggled in Game 4 but it was his first career postseason start and a bounce-back game is likely. If the Canadiens can properly execute and limit the Capitals’ top line, I like their chances and will never complain about +150 odds either.
