Game 11: Montreal Canadiens @ Washington Capitals
Start time: 7:00 PM EDT / 4:00 PM PDT
In the Canadiens region: TSN2 (English), RDS (French)
In the Capitals region: Monumental Sports Network (MNMT)
Streaming: ESPN+, RDS, TSN+
The Montreal Canadiens arrived at the Bell Centre looking to show that they were better than their .500 record would indicate. Instead, they were washed away by the Seattle Kraken. On the one hand, the game was closer than the 8-2 scoreline would indicate. On the other, the Habs did themselves no favours, unleashing a torrent of egregious errors and gifting the Cascadians chance after chance.
There’s little time to wonder at what could have been. The Habs have a scant 48 hours before a date with the Capitals.
Although the Capitals made the playoffs last season, their presence in the postseason was largely regarded as a fluke. Their 91 points was offset by a conference-third-worst -37 goal differential, and no one was surprised when they were summarily swept by the New York Rangers in the first round. This created a dilemma for general manager Brian MacLellan: to build on a foundation that could be a mirage, or to shift into rebuild mode during the twilight years of Alexander Ovechkin’s career.
MacLellan chose the former. Jettisoning Evgeny Kuznetsov, combined with season-ending injuries to Nicklas Backstrom and T.J. Oshie gave him the cap flexibility to make dramatic changes. Putting his eggs in Charlie Lindgren’s basket, the Capitals GM moved Darcy Kuemper to the Los Angeles Kings in exchange for Pierre Luc-Dubois. Andrew Mangiapane and Jakob Chychrun were acquired from the Calgary Flames and Ottawa Senators, respectively, while Matt Roy arrived via free agency.
Canadiens | Statistics | Capitals |
---|---|---|
4-5-1 | Record | 6-2-0 |
45.6% (29th) | Scoring-chances-for % | 56.0% (3rd) |
2.90 (T-21st) | Goals per game | 3.88 (7st) |
4.00 (T-28th) | Goals against per game | 3.00 (T-10th) |
22.9% 11th) | PP% | 7.4% (31st) |
83.8% (8th) | PK% | 81.5% (10th) |
2-1-0 | Head-to-Head Record (23-24) | 1-1-1 |
The early season has validated MacLellan’s moves, as the Capitals sit with a 6-2-0 record through eight games. Dylan Strome (11 points) and Connor McMichael (9 points) spearhead the offence, with Ovechkin chipping in four goals (857) in his pursuit of 894. John Carlson (7 points), Aliaksei Protas (7 points), Tom Wilson (6 points), and even Dubois (5 points) are adding secondary scoring, and this scoring has allowed the Capitals to survive below-average goaltending from their duo of Lindgren (.895 save percentage) and Logan Thompson (.876).
The Capitals are on a four-game home winning streak, having defeated the Vegas Golden Knights, Dallas Stars, Philadelphia Flyers, and New York Rangers after dropping their home opener to the New Jersey Devils. They will, however, potentially face off against the Canadiens without Chychrun—who exited their last game after only 1:50—and Roy—who has been hurt since the first game of the season. The Canadiens, on the other hand, are anticipating reinforcements on the blueline. Kaiden Guhle and Justin Barron are both traveling to D.C. with the club, and at least one should be in the lineup given that the team returned Logan Mailloux to the Laval Rocket on Wednesday.
Martin St-Louis though thinks more change is necessary, if their most recent practice is any indication. The second line, featuring Alex Newhook, Kirby Dach, and Joel Armia has not worked well in any regard, and so the head coach dropped Newhook and Armia to the third trio, flanking Christian Dvorak. Replacing them are Oliver Kapanen and Emil Heineman, as the Montreal bench boss hopes to inject some more goal-scoring punch into the top 6. Defensively, Guhle skated on his natural left side, partnered with Jayden Struble, while Barron slotted in next to Mike Matheson. With the Lane Hutson and David Savard duo kept intact, Arber Xhekaj formed the fourth pair with Mailloux—and thus looks to be the odd-man out if both potential returnees are able to play.
Both Tricolore netminders played against the Kraken, but it’s reasonable to expect that St-Louis will give Montembeault a chance to bounce back. Washington has alternated between Lindgren and Thompson, with Thompson playing on Tuesday against the Rangers. As such, it’s likely that the Canadiens will face their former teammate on Thursday night.
The last time Montreal was blown out, they rebounded with one of their best performances of the season in a 5-2 win against the St. Louis Blues. The ask is a little tougher this time around, but that’s no excuse for not having an equivalent or superior rebound effort.