Game 4: Montreal Canadiens vs. Washington Capitals
How to watch
Start time: 7:00 PM EDT / 4:00 PM PDT
In Canada: Sportsnet East, CityTV (English), TVA Sports (French)
In the Capitals region: Monumental Sports Network
Streaming: ESPN+, Sportsnet Now
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Discipline had been an issue for the Canadiens in their first two games of the season, but on Tuesday night their poor special teams led to a dreadful outing versus the Minnesota Wild, and ultimately the Habs’ first regulation loss of the 2023-24 season.
Playing that game without Kirby Dach, the team has now had three days to absorb the news that the centreman won’t be back with them this year and they will need to make do with what they have. Now the list of available options also includes Joel Armia, back with the team after a productive stint in the AHL.
The team is also dealing with an injury to Kaiden Guhle, which takes another important piece out of their lineup. But it means that Justin Barron gets into his first game after spending the first three on the sidelines. He was good to end last season, but didn’t carry that form into training camp. Martin St-Louis will be hoping Barron’s observations from the opening week will have him prepared to help the team put in a better overall showing this evening.
Montreal Canadiens projected lineup
| Left Wing | Centre | Right Wing |
|---|---|---|
| #22 Cole Caufield | #14 Nick Suzuki | #49 Rafaël Harvey-Pinard |
| #70 Tanner Pearson | #35 Alex Newhook | #20 Juraj Slafkovský |
| #17 Josh Anderson | #91 Sean Monahan | #11 Brendan Gallagher |
| #55 Michael Pezzetta | #71 Jake Evans | #56 Jesse Ylönen |
| Left Defence | Right Defence |
|---|---|
| #8 Mike Matheson | #58 David Savard |
| #72 Arber Xhekaj | $54 Jordan Harris |
| #26 Johnny Kovacevic | #52 Justin Barron |
| Starter | Backup |
|---|---|
| #34 Jake Allen | #35 Samuel Montembeault |
Injured: Kirby Dach, Christian Dvorak, Kaidne Guhle, Chris Wideman
Scratched: Cayden Primeau
Washington Capitals projected lineup
| Left Wing | Centre | Right Wing |
|---|---|---|
| Alexander Ovechkin | Dylan Strome | Matthew Phillips |
| Connor McMichael | Evgeny Kuznetsov | T.J. Oshie |
| Sonny Milano | Nicklas Backstrom | Tom Wilson |
| Beck Malenstyn | Aliaksei Protas | Anthony Mantha |
| Left Defence | Right Defence |
|---|---|
| Rasmus Sandin | John Carlson |
| Martin Fehervary | Trevor van Riemsdyk |
| Hardy Haman Aktell | Alexander Alexeyev |
