Canadiens vs. Capitals: Game thread, rosters, lines, and how to watch

Montreal Canadiens vs. Washington Capitals

How to watch

Puck drop: 7:30 PM EDT / 4:30 PM PDT
In the Canadiens region: TSN2, TSN Direct (English), RDS, RDS Direct (French),
In the Capitals region: NBC Sports-Washington
Elsewhere: NHL.tv/Rogers NHL Live

The Washington Capitals haven’t enjoyed as much success as they’ve been used to in recent years. Perhaps it’s the result of a season that went the distance and ended with a Stanley Cup — perhaps its even more due to the celebration that extended through the off-season — that the team has only won five of its 10 games, and currently sits out of the final wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference.

The offence hasn’t slown down a bit for the Caps, however. They are behind only the Pittsburgh Penguins in goals scored per game, netting nearly four per contest. They’ve potted at least five goals on five occasions already this season.

They’ve only won three of those games, however, highlighting the defensive issues they’ve faced in the early going. Braden Holtby has stopped just 88.8% of the shots that have come his way, while his backup, Pheonix Copley, hasn’t fared any better.

The Canadiens, meanwhile, have been doing quite well on the defensive side, ranking fifth in shots against per game and already containing superstars Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin on two occasions. A shutout performance of the Boston Bruins on Saturday night played a part in forcing the Bruins to break up one of the league’s top lines in search of more offensive balance.

To get the benefit of their defensive play, the Canadiens need their offence firing on all cylinders. With Paul Byron unable to go, a few alterations to the lineup have been made for tonight, as the coaching staff tries to put complementary skill sets together.

Montreal Canadiens projected lineup

Forwards

Defencemen

Goaltenders

Washington Capitals projected lineup

Forwards

Defencemen

Goaltenders