WASHINGTON — Mike Matheson knows firsthand what playoff hockey in Montreal feels like, but even he can’t imagine how electric the Bell Centre’s atmosphere will be Friday night.
The Canadiens will host their first home playoff game before a full crowd since 2017 — through a global pandemic and a rebuild — in Game 3 of their first-round series against the Washington Capitals.
Montreal trails 2-0 in the best-of-seven matchup after a couple of tough losses in Washington, and Matheson expects a crackling building to help the team climb back into the series.
"My expectations are pretty high, but I feel like they'll be exceeded still,” he said at the team hotel Thursday before the Canadiens took flight for Montreal. “We've been good all year in the Bell Centre.
“So much of it is because of our fans and how loud they are.”
Matheson once wore the "bleu-blanc-rouge" as a fan himself. The 31-year-old defenceman from Pointe-Claire, Que., fondly remembers watching the Canadiens play live against the New York Rangers in the 2014 Eastern Conference final.
He has lived out a boyhood dream since joining the Canadiens in 2022, even though losses piled up during his first two seasons.
When the Canadiens were out of playoff contention late in a season or trailing by four goals in the third period, the fan support never wavered, Matheson said.
“Every guy around the league talks about their fans as being the best in the league, but to me that's proof right there,” he said. “I fully expect them to be another level (Friday) night, but it's in times like those that you really see who your friends are, and I feel like we've got a lot of them."
The Bell Centre atmosphere is widely regarded as one of the NHL’s best. Its capacity of more than 21,000 — the largest in the league — combined with one of hockey’s most rabid fan bases, culminates in ear-splitting volumes.
“When you step out on the ice, for myself, I get goosebumps every time,” Matheson said. “It just feels like something got injected into your veins.”
The arena is also a favourite among visiting players.
“It's gonna be tough building to play (in),” Washington captain Alex Ovechkin said.
"It's hard to beat,” added backup goalie Charlie Lindgren, a former Canadien. "The passion. I compared it to the Yankees or the Lakers. It's a premier fan base, an elite fan base. They love the game. It's essentially like a religion up there.”
Montreal played in an empty or reduced-capacity Bell Centre during its run to the Stanley Cup final in 2021.
The Canadiens went 23-12-6 on home ice this season, compared to 17-19-5 on the road.
Needing four wins in their next five games to advance to the second round, Canadiens head coach Martin St. Louis expects his players to draw motivation from their fans.
“I know we’ll have to win one on the road, but going back home in front of our fans, I know they’ll give us some juice. And we need it,” he said Wednesday night. “They’ve been there for us all year. Our goal is to win a game. That’s it, win a game.”
The Canadiens rallied from down 2-0 to force overtime in Game 1, only for Ovechkin to score the winner. In Game 2, Montreal dominated the third period but failed to score an equalizer past Capitals netminder Logan Thompson in an eventual 3-1 loss.
St. Louis repeatedly stated Thursday that the Canadiens need more quality minutes to come out on the right side of the result.
“Our group feels that we can play with them,” he said. “We’ve got to find more minutes of good hockey, like our brand. And it’s hard because Wash is a really good team. But can we get five, six, seven, eight more minutes?”
The Canadiens dominated the shots 14-5 with a shortened bench in the third period Wednesday.
St. Louis benched sharpshooting winger Patrik Laine, who didn’t play a single shift in the final 20 minutes, while Joel Armia and Emil Heineman sparsely touched the ice.
Laine laboured at 5-on-5, committing several turnovers in the first two periods. A power play specialist, the Finnish forward has also struggled to unleash his lethal one-timer in recent weeks. He has one goal in his past 11 games.
“It’s everyone, not one guy or two guys, it’s everyone,” St. Louis said. “Collectively, can we stretch it to our end a bit more? And it definitely starts with the individuals.”
Game 4 goes Sunday night before the series shifts back to Washington for Game 5, if necessary.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 24, 2025.
Daniel Rainbird, The Canadian Press
