The Washington Capitals have a chance to win the President's Trophy this season, as they are currently in a tie for the top spot in the league with the Winnipeg Jets. They are no strangers to the award, as they also claimed the trophy in 2017, 2016, and 2010. It hasn't always ended in success for the Capitals, and many Montreal Canadiens fans should remember the result of their 2010 season.
The Canadiens snuck into the playoffs as the eighth seed in 2010, setting them up for a first-round matchup with the Capitals. There weren't many expectations on the Canadiens, but they were a fun team and many wondered whether they could pull off the upset. It was also the playoff series that started the Carey Price-Jaroslav Halak drama, as Halak took his place as the starting goaltender but the team eventually decided to keep Price and trade Halak.
So we now stand a little over a month away from the start of the 2025 playoffs. As things currently stand, the Canadiens hold the eighth spot in the Eastern Conference, which is now known as the second wild card. The Capitals have the most points in the conference and the first spot in the Metropolitan Division. The playoff format is slightly different, but the basis remains unchanged: If the regular season ended today, it'd be the top-seeded Capitals facing the last-seeded Canadiens.
2010 series
The 2010 series started with a Tomas Plekanec overtime goal in Game 1. Halak stole the show in that game, stopping 45 shots from the Capitals' high-powered offense. Game 2 also went to overtime, which the Capitals struck back on a Nicklas Backstrom-winner, and then seemingly took control of the series with back-to-back victories in the Bell Centre. It'd have been easy for the Canadiens to throw in the towel, but Game 5 was when the Halak Show begun.
Halak allowed one goal in each of the next three games. Montreal stole a 2-1 victory in Washington, returned home for a 4-1 win, and then finished the series on the road with another 2-1 victory. It was one of the most exciting series in recent memory for the Canadiens, and set the stage for another upset against the Pittsburgh Penguins in the next round.
The Stanley Cup run ended in the Eastern Conference Finals against the Philadelphia Flyers, but it was still a memorable spring for Montreal fans. Those same fans can only hope that we'll get a similar playoff season in 2025, which could start in the exact same fashion.
Will Jakub Dobes play the role of Halak this year? Will Montembeault re-write the script and stake his claim in the Price role? The only thing the Canadiens can do as we sit on March 19 is hope they can finish the job and get to a position where they actually get that playoff matchup. The Capitals might be the league's best team, but its a matchup the Canadiens could win again in the 2025 edition.