Capitals stay even-keeled to eliminate the Canadiens in 5 and win their first series since 2018

WASHINGTON (AP) — Just like during the season when they were the top team in the Eastern Conference and one of the best in the NHL, the Washington Capitals got goals from Alex Ovechkin, superb play in net from Logan Thompson and scoring up and down their lineup in the first round of the playoffs.

It again was a winning recipe, finishing off the Montreal Canadiens in five games to advance to face the Carolina Hurricanes. Not panicking when they lost Game 3 at Bell Centre or when they were trailing late in Game 4, the Capitals relied on what has worked so well for them for months to win a series for the first time since the Stanley Cup run in 2018.

Jakob Chychrun, who scored a goal in Game 5, said, “We’ve done it all year.” They were able to keep the good vibes going by maintaining consistency.

“Just not getting too high or too low on the bench, just kind of keeping it pretty even-keel," said Dylan Strome, who led Washington in scoring with nine points after leading the team in scoring during the regular season. “We’ve been battling hard all year. We’ve done a great job of not letting one loss build into two, into three and things like that. We’re a resilient group.”

Spencer Carbery, who's the favorite to win the Jack Adams Award as coach of the year in his second season in charge, is less concerned about the losing streaks that are inevitable and more impressed by his team's ability to not let bad things snowball within games.

“(When you have) adversity in a game where you’re trailing, where things haven’t gone your way, where you don’t have your best, where you’ve given up or made a huge mistake that’s ended up in the back of your net and being able to overcome that, I think the experience of that, you get better at that,” Carbery said. “It gives you more belief. It gives you more confidence that you can find your way out of it.”

The Capitals have come a long way since getting swept as the eighth seed by the Presidents' Trophy-winning New York Rangers a year ago. Reflecting on that defeat, Carbery thought the Rangers took the Capitals' belief away from them goal by goal and game by game.

Perhaps that's why players shrugged off the idea of a turning point against Montreal.

“I think we had control of the series from Game 1,” said Tom Wilson, whose big hit on Alexandre Carrier helped turn the tide in the victory that put the Capitals up 3-1 in the series. “We take Game 1, take Game 2, obviously a bit of a crazy Game 3 and then right back to business. There’s ups and downs in a playoff series, but I think for the most part we were pretty focused and we were pretty diligent and we went out and got the job done.”

On the verge of clinching a playoff series on home ice for the first time since 2015, the Capitals did not make it easy on themselves in Game 5. They gave up eight of the first nine shots, relied on Thompson to make big saves and did so again when they were outshot 10-2 at the start of the third period.

When Brandon Duhaime put the puck into an empty net with 25.6 seconds left, they were able to exhale and recall what made them successful in the series and the season.

“We don’t give up,” Strome said. “Even when things don’t go well, like we were down 8-1 in shots to start the game and we kind of just find a way.”

They also found different ways to win. Ovechkin scored his first career playoff overtime goal to take the series opener; Thompson shined late to make it 2-0; big hits sparked a comeback to win Game 4; and there was no letup from the Capitals in their first chance to close out the Canadiens.

On Wednesday morning, defenseman Rasmus Sandin espoused the values of practicing patience.

“We just have a system that everyone believes in, and even if the result doesn’t come in five, 10 minutes or so, we have a very tight group and we’re fighting until the end,” Sandin said. “We just believe in each other a lot.”

AP NHL playoffs: https://apnews.com/hub/stanley-cup and https://apnews.com/hub/nhl

Washington Capitals left wing Alex Ovechkin (8) shakes hands with Montreal Canadiens right wing Josh Anderson (17) after Game 5 of a first-round NHL hockey playoff series Wednesday, April 30, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)

Washington Capitals right wing Tom Wilson (43) celebrates his goal in the second period of Game 5 of a first-round NHL hockey playoff series against the Montreal Canadiens, Wednesday, April 30, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)

Washington Capitals right wing Brandon Duhaime (22) celebrates his empty net goal with left wing Pierre-Luc Dubois (80) and Connor McMichael, right, in the third period of Game 5 of a first-round NHL hockey playoff series against the Montreal Canadiens Wednesday, April 30, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)

Washington Capitals goaltender Logan Thompson (48) celebrates with center Dylan Strome (17) and Ryan Leonard at the end of Game 5 of a first-round NHL hockey playoff series against the Montreal Canadiens Wednesday, April 30, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)

HONG KONG (AP) — Hong Kong officials on Wednesday proposed expanding oversight of building maintenance projects and stronger fire safety steps after a blaze in November killed at least 161 people and displaced thousands.

The blaze that spread across seven towers in an apartment complex raised questions about corruption, negligence and government oversight in the city's building maintenance projects, piling pressure on Hong Kong leader John Lee’s administration and Beijing’s “patriots-only” governance system for the city.

In the newly elected legislature's first meeting, Lee said the fire exposed the need for reform and pledged that the investigation by law enforcement agencies and a judge-led independent committee would be thorough.

“We will fairly pursue accountability and take disciplinary action based on facts against anyone who should bear responsibility, regardless of whether they are from within or outside the government, or whether they are junior or senior staff,” Lee said.

To combat bid-rigging, Lee's administration proposed that the Urban Renewal Authority play a greater role in helping homeowners choose contractors for building maintenance projects.

Officials planned to set up a preselected list of consultants and contractors based on official background checks and past reviews from homeowners. The authority would facilitate homeowners in tendering and bid evaluation more.

The government also suggested requiring big renovation projects to hire a third-party professional to supervise the work, necessitating fire department's approval before shutting down major fire safety installations, and banning smoking on any construction site.

Proposals for law changes linked to the smoking ban were expected to be submitted for the legislature's review within the next few weeks, while officials were still discussing some of the other suggestions with the Urban Renewal Authority.

Authorities have pointed to substandard netting and foam boards installed during renovations at the Wang Fuk Court apartment complex as factors that contributed to the fire in November. They also said some fire alarms did not work in tests.

Political analysts and observers worried the tragedy could be the “tip of an iceberg" in Hong Kong, a city whose skyline is built on high-rise buildings. Suspicions of bid-rigging and use of hazardous construction materials in renovation projects across other housing estates have left many fearing the disaster could be repeated.

A man walks past the burnt buildings after a deadly fire that started Wednesday at Wang Fuk Court, a residential estate in the Tai Po district of Hong Kong's New Territories, Friday, Nov. 28 2025. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)

FILE - Smoke rises after a fire broke out at Wang Fuk Court, a residential estate in the Tai Po district of Hong Kong's New Territories, Nov. 26 2025. (AP Photo/Chan Long Hei, File)