After enjoying a much-needed break from action, the Montreal Canadiens (17-20-8) are ready to return to the ice. They will face a tough opponent tonight in the Washington Capitals (24-18-2), a team widely known for its potent combination of offense, defence, and grit.
In their last game, the Habs scored a 4-1 victory over the league-leading New York Rangers on Sunday, Jan. 15. Smart plays and timely goals helped the Canadiens to earn that victory. The team has had some major consistency issues this season, but everything seemed to come together against the Blueshirts.
The Caps, in the meantime, are coming off of a 3-0 shutout loss to the New York Islanders on Tuesday, Jan. 17. They will be looking to return to the wins column against the Canadiens as they kick off a three-game road trip.
Washington’s offense is led by Nicklas Backstrom, who has 42 points (13G, 29A) to his name. Not too far behind him is superstar winger Alex Ovechkin, who has 35 points (18G, 17A).
Montreal crowned a new scoring leader in their last game. That honour currently resides with Erik Cole and his 33 points (17G, 16A). Max Pacioretty has climbed into second place with 32 points (15G, 17A).
Carey Price will be the likely starter for the home team tonight, despite a spectacular outing from Peter Budaj against the Rangers. He has a 15-16-8 record, along with a .912 save percentage and a 2.44 goals-against average. Tomas Vokoun will get the nod for the Caps, and he brings a 19-11-0 record, a 2.53 GAA, and a save percentage of .917 to the table.
Game time is called for 7:30 PM from the Bell Centre in Montreal. Televised coverage will be provided by TSN and RDS, while TSN Radio 990 and WFED 1500 will carry the game on the radio.
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