Montreal Canadiens vs. Washington Capitals
How to watch
Start time: 7:00 PM EDT / 4:00 PM PDT
In the Canadiens region: TSN2 (English), RDS (French)
In the Capitals region: NBC Sports Washington
Streaming: ESPN+, RDS Direct, TSN+
After Tuesday’s listless game versus the Detroit Red Wings, Nick Suzuki and Mike Matheson were the two players to speak to the media about a second consecutive shutout loss. The energy the team had been mustering in the latter part of the season has disappeared over the last few contests, and the two leaders on the team expressed the importance of staying focused for the final matches.
Those two had been among the more effective players in the game, and they also know their positions on the roster are safe for next year. That’s not the case for several members on this club getting chances because of injuries to regulars, and the value of the final four games has surely been relayed in the days since.
Tale of the Tape
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| Canadiens | Statistics | Capitals |
|---|---|---|
| 30-42-6 | Record | 34-34-9 |
| 43.3% (30th) | Scoring-chances-for % | 50.3% (18th) |
| 2.74 (26th) | Goals per game | 3.09 (20th) |
| 3.68 (28th) | Goals against per game | 3.10 (16th) |
| 16.9% (28th) | PP% | 21.4% (15th) |
| 72.9% (30th) | PK% | 82.6% (6th) |
| 0-2-0 | Head-to-Head Record | 2-0-0 |
The back-to-back goalless performances amounted to the lowest two-game offensive total since games two and three of the season, versus Detroit and the Washington Capitals, coincidentally the same opponents the Habs are facing this week.
Tonight’s match versus the Capitals may be one of Montreal’s best hopes of earning a win the rest of the way. Sheldon Keefe will be preaching the importance of going into the post-season playing well to the Toronto Maple Leafs. Then there’s a desperate New York Islanders team that may be facing post-season elimination when they host Montreal in their season finale next Wednesday. The Bruins will likely be shipping up from Boston with a skeleton crew for the final game of the year, though even that squad will pose a challenge to this Habs team.
Washington is now in a similar situation to Montreal after a rough end to their season. Selling off some pieces at the deadline, they weren’t able to hang with the Islanders and others in the Eastern Conference still fighting for wild-card spots, and were eliminated from contention on Tuesday night. For the first time in eight years, and just the second time since 2007, the club will not feature in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Both clubs come into this match on four-game losing streaks, but one of those will come to an end. Either the Canadiens find some source of offence, or the Capitals solve their defensive issues for a night to extend the Habs’ woes. Ideally Washington would at least let a goal slip in or two to give the home crowd something to cheer about to cap off this four-game homestand.
