Our writers make their predictions for the Western Conference series in the second round. Who will reach the Conference Final?

While Montreal’s first-round pick was locked in heading into Monday’s Draft Lottery, there was still some intrigue for the Canadiens as the outcome of the lottery would dictate which first-round pick they’d receive to complete the Sean Monahan trade.

Although Montreal is no longer in the playoffs, the HabsWorld writers have made their predictions on the second round of the 2025 NHL playoffs. The Eastern Conference series is first up.

After getting the win in the third game of the series last week, the Habs weren’t able to hold serve at home, paving the way for their season to come to an end in Washington in Game 5.

On Friday, the Habs cleaned out their lockers and met with the media for the final time before parting ways for the offseason.  Here is some news of note from those discussions.

While the Habs were eliminated in the first round by Washington, the team and its fans still owe a big thank you to the Rangers for letting go of one of the architects of this team.

The Habs had some good stretches early and late on Wednesday in Washington but struggled in between that, paving the way for the Capitals to take the game and the series 4-1.

After a big win on Friday to get back into the series, the Habs looked to equalize things against Washington on Sunday. They had the lead in the third but couldn’t hold on, falling 5-2.

The first three games of Montreal’s first-round series against Washington are in the books. After a couple of tough losses, they took care of business on home ice to keep within striking distance in a series that could be shaken up by injuries.

Friday’s third game of the series was certainly an eventful one, featuring plenty of goals, both teams losing their goalies to injury, and even a bench-clearing incident. In the end, the Habs picked up six goals, allowing them to double up Washington by a score of 6-3.