MNMT will offer live game broadcasts featuring fan-favorite talent during the First Round and pre- and postgame coverage throughout the Capitals run in the Stanley Cup Playoffs
Special program ‘Alex Ovechkin: Drive to 895’ highlighting Ovechkin’s career-long journey to break the NHL goal-scoring record to premiere on Saturday evening
Washington, D.C. (April 17, 2025) – Monumental Sports Network (MNMT) announced today that the independent media platform will air the entirety of the Washington Capitals series in the First Round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, beginning with Game 1 on Monday at 7:00 PM ET against the Montreal Canadiens. MNMT’s First Round coverage will include live broadcasts of all games and hour-long pre- and postgame programs featuring Joe Beninati, Craig Laughlin, Al Koken, Alan May, and other fan-favorite on-air talent. The Capitals secured the 2024-25 Metropolitan Division title and the top seed in the Eastern Conference.
If the Capitals progress past the First Round, MNMT will continue to offer fans in the DMV region robust gameday coverage of the Capitals playoff run. MNMT will surround all Capitals playoff games with live hour-long editions of Capitals Pregame Live and Capitals Postgame Live broadcast from MNMT’s state-of-the-art studios. Special editions of Caps Rink Report Live featuring John Walton and Tarik El-Bashir will also stream live on the state-of-the-art Monumental+ app (M+) at 12 PM ET on all Capitals playoff game days.
Just ahead of the Capitals playoff opener, MNMT will debut part one of a three-part original program, entitled Alex Ovechkin: Drive to 895, that will relive all of Capitals forward Alex Ovechkin’s goals in his journey to break the NHL’s all-time career goals record. The special was entirely produced by Monumental Sports & Entertainment (MSE) and the 30-minute part one episode will premiere on Saturday, April 19 at 7:30 PM ET on MNMT and will be available for on-demand viewing on the M+ platform afterward. The second and third parts of the special will air throughout the following weeks. The program will highlight all of Ovechkin’s goals on his journey to breaking Wayne Gretzky’s long-held record, in order and unfiltered, as well as mark major milestones and touchpoints in Ovechkin’s decorated career with the Capitals.
“Monumental Sports Network is thrilled to once again bring the unmatched excitement of the Stanley Cup Playoffs to Capitals fans across the DMV and deliver comprehensive coverage that captures the intensity of playoff hockey,” said Zach Leonsis, President of Media & New Enterprises at MSE. “As the premier destination for Capitals content, we are also excited to debut our special program ‘Alex Ovechkin: Drive to 895,’ which will be a fantastic way for fans to gear up for playoff action. We invite our viewers to join us on this exhilarating journey as we come together in support of the Capitals in their quest for hockey’s ultimate prize.”
The Capitals broadcast booth during the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs will feature Emmy Award-winning play-by-play announcer Joe Beninati and game analyst Craig Laughlin. The fan-favorite duo, who are wrapping up their 28th consecutive season together, will be joined by rinkside reporter Al Koken, who will continue to provide exclusive in-game interviews and updates during playoff games on MNMT. Capitals shoulder programming during the playoffs will feature MNMT analysts Alan May, Bruce Boudreau, Brent Johnson, Devante Smith-Pelly, Tarik El-Bashir, and Karl Alzner with Beninati, Laughlin, and Koken contributing to coverage. Russ Thaler of CBS Sports, the Tennis Channel, and previously CSN Mid-Atlantic will continue to serve as temporary host as Alexa Landestoy is on maternity leave.
Local fans have shown a strong affinity for MNMT’s Capitals coverage throughout the 2024-25 season. Through the first 76 games of the season, regional TV viewership for Capitals games has increased 41% in the D.C. and Baltimore markets compared to last season (HH). Similarly, the demand for Capitals pre- and postgame programming has also increased significantly year-over-year, up 31% and 65% respectively. (Source: Nielsen Media Research, HH demo. DC & Baltimore DMA’s. Data based on games aired on MNMT/MNMT2 from 9/24/23 – 4/4/25.)
Capitals playoffs coverage on MNMT will be available to local fans both on linear tv and via streaming platforms within the network’s coverage area, stretching from Richmond to Delaware. Capitals fans can watch the games through their TV provider, on monumentalplus.com, or by downloading the M+ app on iOS, Android, Apple TV, Roku, and Amazon Fire TV and using an eligible TV Everywhere log-in.
For fans without a TV provider, MNMT offers direct-to-consumer (DTC) subscription memberships for viewers seeking to access MNMT’s live and on-demand programming. Fans can purchase monthly or annual memberships at monumentalplus.com or by downloading the M+ app.
Throughout the 2024-25 season, in addition to live games, MNMT has offered fans comprehensive coverage of the team’s 50th anniversary season and Ovechkin’s chase of the NHL’s all-time career goals record. MNMT’s 50th anniversary and Ovechkin-related coverage has included robust multiplatform content, special gameday programs, and themed original programming, including Hometown with Rachel Nichols, Caps Red Line, and Caps Rink Report. Live game coverage included the return of MNMT’s alternate broadcasts with fun and relaxed insights, along with the ability to watch the game from multiple camera angles simultaneously on the M+ app.
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About Monumental Sports Network
Monumental Sports Network is wholly owned and operated by Monumental Sports & Entertainment (MSE). The network holds exclusive local television media rights for the NHL’s Washington Capitals, NBA’s Washington Wizards and WNBA’s Washington Mystics games. MNMT is also the TV and digital home to the NBA G League’s Capital City Go-Go and the NBA 2K League’s Wizards District Gaming as well as exclusive behind-the-scenes content and original sports and entertainment programming. The network also boasts the most comprehensive regional high school and collegiate sports programming in the greater Washington D.C. metro area. For more, visit monumentalplus.com.
