The Washington Capitals will have a weekend off to prepare for the Stanley Cup playoffs.
Alex Ovechkin and company open the postseason against the Montreal Canadiens on Monday night at Capital One Arena, the NHL announced Thursday.
The Capitals, as the top seed in the Eastern Conference, will host the Canadiens for Game 1 on Monday and Game 2 on Wednesday before the series shifts to Montreal. The Canadiens will host Games 3 and 4 on Friday, April 25, and Sunday, April 27.
The remaining “if necessary” games will alternate between the District and Montreal. Washington would host Games 5 and 7 on Wednesday, April 30, and Sunday, May 4. Game 6 would be played in Montreal on Friday, May 2.
If they beat the Canadiens, the Capitals would maintain their home-ice advantage through the next two rounds of the playoffs.
• Liam Griffin can be reached at lgriffin@washingtontimes.com.
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