Lions and bears don’t sleep in the heads of the Montreal Canadiens, only tigers. This particular tiger was one of theirs but now plays for the Washington Capitals. Lars Eller has not only thrived there but done damage to his ex team.
The Washington Capitals acquired Lars Eller in a trade back in the summer of 2016 for second rounders in 2017 and 18′. After getting beaten in the second round by the bottom six depth of the Pittsburgh Penguins, in particular the H(Hello Hagelin!)-B-K line, the Capitals knew they needed to bolster theirs for a shot at taking them down.
Eller had a good first season in Washington posting 25 points (12 goals, 13 assists) in the 2016-17 campaign. He was even better the following season with a career-high 18 goals and 38 points which earned him a contract extension in the middle of the season. The deal was five years worth $17.5 million, an average annual value of $3.5 million. As Capitals fans found out that spring, Eller was worth every penny.
Eller scored a critical goal in double overtime of Game 3 of the first round last season against the Columbus Blue Jackets, a series that saw the Capitals staring at an 0-2 series deficit in desperate need of a win. That was the first win of the playoffs and fittingly enough, Eller scored the game-winning goal in the final playoff win. It came on June 7, Game 5 in Las Vegas where the Capitals bested the Golden Knights to win their first Stanley Cup. Eller had zero goals and five assists the previous spring but the tiger was just simply in hibernation.
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This season Eller has been just as impressive with 13 goals and a career-high 23 assists for 36 points. And he has haunted his former team in each of their games this season. In their first meeting back on Nov. 1, Eller scored a season-high two goals in a 6-4 Capitals loss. Alex Ovechkin also scored twice. The Capitals got revenge only a few weeks later.
On Nov. 19 Eller had the puck in overtime in his old barn where Habs fans were serenading him with boos. Eller scored in a 5-4 Capitals win. Talk about payback both from a loss a few weeks prior as well as getting booed by your former fans.
Eller wasn’t done. Just over four months later, in the second to last game of the regular season, Eller opened up the scoring. It happened when Carl Hagelin forced a turnover and Brett Connolly fed Eller a quick pass that he buried backhanded. The Capitals went on to win 2-1 thanks to a game-winning goal from Nic Dowd in the second period to clinch the Metropolitan Division.
Forechecking our way to the first goal of the game. #ALLCAPS #CapsHabs pic.twitter.com/W5WElVzw9u
— Washington Capitals (@Capitals) April 4, 2019
Eller has five goals in his career against the Canadiens. Four of them have come this season. Now Eller looks for an encore performance this upcoming spring as the Capitals look to defend their Stanley Cup.