The Stanley Cup Playoffs are finally here, and there’s no love lost between some of the teams. The Montreal Canadiens and Washington Capitals played Game 1 on Monday, and in a testy contest, Brendan Gallagher was cross-checked in the face—but after the game, he said the most incredible thing about it.
Game 1 didn’t disappoint. Alex Ovechkin, who earlier this year broke the NHL’s all-time goals record, started his 2025 Playoffs in top form. The Russian superstar scored two goals, tallied three points, delivered seven hits, and netted the overtime winner to seal the victory for the Capitals at home.
The game wasn’t just thrilling for the goals—it had a heavy physical edge, with plenty of scrums and incidents. One of the most controversial moments came early in the game between Alex Alexeyev and Brendan Gallagher. After a whistle, the Capitals defenseman delivered a blatant cross-check to Gallagher’s face, leaving him in obvious pain.
Brendan Gallagher’s awesome words
Surprisingly, no penalty was called, and fans quickly voiced their outrage on social media.
“So this is legal in the NHL playoffs. What a joke NHL officiating is—especially in the playoffs,” Stu Cowan of the Montreal Gazette wrote on X.
“The NHL has declared that cross-checks to the gums, once considered not allowed and bad, are actually allowed and good now,” Steve ‘Dangle’ Glynn added.
But one of the most remarkable parts came after the game—Gallagher’s reaction. Speaking to reporters, he downplayed the incident, saying that kind of physicality is expected during the playoffs, and he wasn’t surprised it wasn’t called.
“Of course not. It’s just part of it. This time of year, you just don’t expect power plays. I’ll be back out there—it’s just part of the game,” he said.
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