Aliaksei Protas could play for the Capitals in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference First Round against the Montreal Canadiens on Wednesday (7 p.m. ET; MNMT, ESPN, SNP, SNO, SNE, TVAS, CBC), but coach Spencer Carbery would not commit to that Monday.

If the answer is “no,” that’s OK. Montreal nearly backed its way into the playoffs and the Washington Capitals hit a rough patch of their own. Still, this matchup brings a whole bunch of juice — the most prolific goal scorer of all time, the East’s top team and the return of postseason hockey to one of the sport’s true epicenters.

The top seed Capitals rallied past the Canadiens to take a 3-1 lead. The Presidents' Trophy-winning Jets, though, lost to the Blues again.