The Montreal Canadiens were eliminated from the Stanley Cup Playoffs by the Washington Capitals with a 4-1 loss in Game 5 of the best-of-7 Eastern Conference First Round at Capital One Arena in Washington on Wednesday. Montreal lost all three of its road games in the series.

The Canadiens' youth will be a problem for the NHL for years, but the impact of their veterans must be considered as the rebuild continues.

In Game 1 of their first-round Stanley Cup playoff series against the Montreal Canadiens, their hero was captain Alex Ovechkin in overtime. In Game 2, it was goaltender Logan Thompson in the third period. In Game 4, the big moments were a series-altering hit by Tom Wilson and a late game-winner from Andrew Mangiapane.