The Montreal Canadiens are in the U.S. capital to begin their final 33-games of the regular season.
GAME DAY PREVIEW | Montreal Canadiens (20-21-8) vs Washington Capitals (22-18-7)
GAME DAY: Montreal Canadiens vs Washington Capitals.Game Preview
Roster News
Rocket forwards Lucas Condotta and Brandon Gignac joined the Canadiens on the weekend and are expected to be in the lineup tonight.
Alex Newhook traveled with his teammates to Washington, D.C. but is not expected to play.
Arber Xhekaj may return to the lineup after being a healthy scratch against the Penguins. Marty St. Louis will not deploy eleven forwards and seven defensemen as some anticipated.
Sam Montembeault (11-7-4 / 3.10 GAA / .905 SV%) is the confirmed starter for Montreal.
Last Game
It was an outstanding game for Jake Allen who stole a point for the Canadiens.
Last game: MTL 2 vs PIT 3 | F/OT
Players to Watch
- Brandon Gignac - Gignac is a veteran of more than 300 games played in the AHL and ECHL. He played one game in the NHL with the New Jersey Devils during the 2018-19 season.
Matchup for Game 50, Away Game 25
Capital One Arena, Washington, D.C. | February 6, 7:00 PM ET | TV: TSN2, RDS, MNMT, ESPN
Pre-Game
Martin St. Louis
- "At this point in the season, teams are fighting for a playoff spot. The intensity of the last third of the season resembles that of the playoffs. The teams are fighting for their survival. For our part, we have to keep putting our hands together and I'm making sure the guys are ready. We are not out of the race and we have to fight for every point."
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Projected Canadiens Lineup (subject to change)
Forwards
22 Cole Caufield - 14 Nick Suzuki - 20 Juraj Slafkovsky
70 Tanner Pearson - 71 Jake Evans - 56 Jesse Ylonen
40 Joel Armia - 74 Brandon Gignac - 17 Josh Anderson
55 Michael Pezzetta - 82 Lucas Condotta- 49 Rafael Harvey-Pinard
Defensemen
8 Mike Matheson - 21 Kaiden Guhle
47 Jayden Struble - 58 David Savard
72 Arber Xhekaj - 26 Johnathan Kovacevic
Goaltenders
Starter: 35 Sam Montembeault (11-7-4 / 3.10 GAA / .905 SV%)
Alternate: 30 Cayden Primeau
Out of the lineup
Scratches: Jordan Harris, Jake Allen
Suspension: Brendan Gallagher
Injuries: Carey Price (knee), Chris Wideman (back), Kirby Dach (knee), Alex Newhook (lower body), Christian Dvorak (upper body)
Visiting Bench
This is the second of three meetings this season between the Capitals and Canadiens. Montreal beat the Caps 3-2 in overtime on October 21st at the Bell Centre.
Washington is 6-2-2 against the Habs in their last ten games.
Former Canadiens skaters Max Pacioretty and Joel Edmundson will be in the lineup. It will be Edmundson's first game against his former team.
Charlie Lindgren (9-6-4 / 2.58 GAA / .916 SV%) is the confirmed starter for the Capitals.
Game Expectations
Both teams will be looking to brush off the rust of the All-Star break. The Capitals are currently riding a four-game losing streak.
Be sure to bookmark THN.com/Montreal for year-round coverage of the Montreal Canadiens, Laval Rocket, and Habs prospects playing in leagues around the world.
Gretzky Signature Series.