Schedule and 2009-10 Results
Regular Season Records: Washington 54-15-13=121pts, Montreal 39-33-10=88pts
Game 1 on Thursday, 15 April: Montreal wins at Washington, 3-goals-2 (OT)
Game 2 on Saturday, 17 April: Montreal loses at Washington, 6-goals-5 (OT)
Game 3 on Monday, 19 April: Washington wins at Montreal, 5-goals-1
Game 4 on Wednesday, 21 April: Washington wins at Montreal, 6-goals-3
Game 5 on Friday, 23 April: Montreal wins at Washington, 2-goals-1
Game 6 on Monday, 26 April: Washington loses at Montreal, 4-goals-1
Game 7 on Wednesday, 28 April: Montreal wins at Washington, 2-goals-1

SERIES NOTES:

Post-series assessment: Rallying from a 3-games-1 deficit, the Montreal Canadiens defeated the Washington Capitals 4-games-3 in MLB/NBA/NHL best-of-7 playoff series 1089. With the series 1089 win, the Montreal Canadiens improve their best-of-7 NHL playoff series record to 73-35 overall and 12-5 in the Preliminary round. With the series 1089 loss, the Washington Capitals see their best-of-7 NHL playoff series record fall to 9-19 overall and 6-11 in the Preliminary round. The victorious Montreal Canadiens in series 1089 posted a WLLLWWW win order: Series 1089 thus becomes the fifth NHL Preliminary-round series, the sixth NHL series (all rounds), and the 12th MLB/NBA/NHL series (all rounds) to follow this win order to completion. Series 1089 marks the first NHL comeback from a 3-games-1 deficit in a best-of-7 playoff series since series 1057, in which the Washington Capitals achieved the feat against the New York Rangers in the 2009 Preliminary round; before that, the last NHL comeback from the 3-games-1 deficit occurred in series 907, in which the Montreal Canadiens rallied to defeat the Boston Bruins in the 2004 Preliminary round. Given that the Washington Capitals led the Montreal Canadiens by 33 regular-season points, the Montreal series 1089 win ties for the fourth-biggest upset in best-of-7 NHL playoff history in terms of regular-season point deficit. And never before in best-of-7 NHL playoff history had a team trailing by as many as 33 regular-season points and 3-games-1 rallied to win 4-games-3; prior to series 1089, the largest regular-season point deficit surmounted by a team rallying from a 3-games-1 deficit to win the series was 15 (by the Edmonton Oilers in series 753, against the Colorado Avalanche in the 1998 NHL Preliminary round). The Montreal Canadiens' series record is now a stellar 58-10 (.853) upon having led a best-of-7 NHL playoff series 1-game-nil. In series 1089 Game 2, the Washington Capitals trailed the Montreal Canadiens by three goals as late as 18:22 into the second period: In the history of best-of-7 NHL playoff series from 1939 through 2009, teams down three goals as late as 18:22 into the second period had only a 10-332 (.029) game record. Even as late as 18:38 into the third period of series 1089 Game 2, Washington still trailed Montreal by a goal: In the aforementioned history, teams down a goal with but 82 seconds left in regulation had only a 40-889 (.043) game record. In the end, Washington won series 1089 Game 2 by a 6-goals-5 score in overtime.