The New Jersey Devils are just about to get into the third period against the Carolina Hurricanes. They hold the lead in the game, but the Hurricanes hold the lead in the series. This is a very important game for both teams. If the Canes win, a trip to the second round is all but confirmed. If the Devil win, it's a brand-new series.
The winner of this series expects to play the Presidents Trophy-winning Washington Capitals, but the eighth-seeded Montreal Canadiens changed their series with a 6-3 win prior to the end of the Devils-Hurricanes game. This obviously changes the series, making it 2-1 in terms of games, but it was an injury that happened late in the game that could make life much easier for the Canadiens.
Dylan Strome just flattened Logan Thompson resulting in what looked like a serious lower body injury pic.twitter.com/xXWWrYMj1S
— The Hockey News (@TheHockeyNews) April 26, 2025
Logan Thompson has been amazing since coming to the Capitals. He’s expected to be a Vezina Trophy candidate when the nominees come out next week. Coming into the playoffs, Thompson was expected to be an X-factor.
Prior to Friday night’s affair, Thompson only allowed three goals in two games in two easy playoff wins. Even with the Canadiens playing with all the motivation in the world, they weren’t getting past a brick wall. Unfortunately, that wall might be out.
That injury doesn’t look good. Dylan Strome went into Thompson at full speed. That caused Thompson to bend over backwards, and that looks to be a knee injury. We won’t know how serious the injury is for a few days at least, but the Capitals can’t afford this.
As good as the Capitals have been all season, they look much better with Thompson in net than Charlie Lindgren. While he’s a great backup, he’s a backup for a reason. He has been the goalie of record for 20 wins and 17 losses. That’s not good enough in the playoffs, even with the great pieces surrounding Washington.
Whoever advances between the Devils and Hurricanes with get something less than they expected if Thompson’s injury is bad. It’s either an eighth-seeded Canadiens team or a top seed without their starting goalie.