After taking a 2-0 series lead at home, the Washington Capitals are headed to Canada on Thursday as they get ready to take on the Montreal Canadiens in their own barn. There, they’ll not only face a Canadiens squad with control over line matchups, but they’ll also have to contend with the wild atmosphere at Bell Centre, which is widely considered to be among the most challenging arenas to play at in the league.
The Capitals took care of business in their first two games at home, but they did so by narrow margins — Game 1 went to overtime, while the Canadiens were one goal away from tying Game 2 until the final seconds. Without the advantage of home ice, the Caps know they’ll have their work cut out for them in Games 3 and 4.
“People say it’s like no other experience in the league, of playoff hockey in Montreal at the Bell Centre,” head coach Spencer Carbery said. “Even playing in the regular season there, it’s special. Whenever you play at the Bell Centre as a visiting team, as a coach, standing there, the ‘oohs’ and ‘ahhs’ of the crowd when certain things happen — it’s going to be a great experience.
“It’s going to be a hard place to play. We know that. We’re going to have to be prepared for that. We’re probably going to need to be a little bit better than we were in the last two games.”
As the second-largest city in Canada and the home of an Original Six franchise with a league-record 13 Stanley Cup wins, Montreal has a long and storied history as a hockey city, though the Canadiens have struggled some in recent years.
Fans have long been waiting for the return of playoff hockey — though the Canadiens made an unlikely run to the Stanley Cup Final in 2021, COVID-19 restrictions in Canada meant they played to an empty crowd while at home. After an eight-year drought, Friday’s game will mark the first playoff game with fans at Bell Centre since they faced the New York Rangers in 2017.
For players who have had the chance to experience Canadiens hockey up close, they know what the crowd there is capable of — especially in the playoffs. Charlie Lindgren spent parts of five seasons with the Habs between 2016 and 2020 and saw a hockey culture there that few other cities could match, comparing the atmosphere to that of basketball’s Los Angeles Lakers and baseball’s New York Yankees.
“From an energy standpoint, it’s hard to beat,” he said. “It’s essentially like a religion up there. They just absolutely cheer for the Habs. They love the Habs. When they suck, they hate the Habs. But they just truly love the game of hockey.
“I was fortunate enough to get a chance to play there multiple times and play in front of the fan base, and it’s just moments like that you’ll never forget.”
The games also hold extra meaning for Lars Eller, who played over 400 games for the Canadiens early in his career. With all but one of Eller’s former teammates (Brendan Gallagher) gone from the roster, playing the Habs isn’t quite as impactful as it once was, but the chance to return to Montreal still held weight.
“I look forward to going back, playing at the Bell Centre,” he said. “I always love playing games there…(It’s) part of your journey as a player, of course, that’ll always stick with you, where you’ve been. I had a lot of good memories and great experiences as a Canadien that I’ll never forget. Some special, special moments.”
Even the Canadiens’ former rivals looked forward to the matchup. Former Ottawa Senator Jakob Chychrun ranked both Bell Centre and Montreal’s fan base as among the most historic in the league, and he knows that the building will be even livelier than usual after the late-season push that got the Canadiens into the playoffs in the first place.
“I know that late in the season, with the push that they had, they were excited and really ramping up the energy,” he said. “And I know in the playoffs, it’s going to be even another level up from that. So yeah, I’m excited to get in there and feel that energy, and ride with it. Hopefully, we can play spoiler for that fan base.”
Chychrun’s sentiment threaded through many of the Capitals’ comments ahead of Game 3: while they knew playing in Montreal would be far from easy, it was something they relished rather than feared. And with the confidence of a 2-0 series lead, the Capitals are more than up for the challenge.
“Playing in front of environments like that, that’s when hockey’s the most fun,” Lindgren said. “You like to play in rinks that are packed full, and they’re either cheering for you or against you. That’s when it’s a blast.”
