Here's everything to know before the Capitals take on the Canadiens.
The Washington Capitals have seen their play take a turn for the better. But now, it's time for results, and they hope those will start to show up as they take on the Montreal Canadiens in a critical game.
Here's everything to know before puck drop at 7 p.m. ET at Bell Centre as the Capitals sit six points out of a playoff spot.
Washington Capitals Line Combinations
Sonny Milano will make his long-awaited return to the lineup for Washington after missing the last two months and change with an upper-body injury, and the combinations will tweak slightly to account for that.
Nicolas Aube-Kubel will be the odd man out, as Tom Wilson has taken his spot on the fourth line and will remain with Nic Dowd and Beck Malenstyn in Montreal.
On defense, Trevor van Riemsdyk will make his return to the lineup after missing some time due to illness. Ethan Bear will come out as the healthy scratch.
Darcy Kuemper will start in goal, with Charlie Lindgren backing up.
Here are the projected combinations:
Alex Ovechkin-Dylan Strome-T.J. Oshie
Aliaksei Protas-Connor McMichael-Anthony Mantha
Max Pacioretty-Michael Sgarbossa-Sonny milano
Beck Malenstyn-Nic Dowd-Tom Wilson
Martin Fehervary-John Carlson
Rasmus Sandin-Nick Jensen
Joel Edmundson-Trevor van Riemsdyk
Washington Capitals Injury Report
- Evgeny Kuznetsov remains out indefinitely after entering the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program.
- Nicklas Backstrom is still on long-term injured reserve and is unlikely to play again this season after stepping away due to his hip not responding as he'd hoped following hip resurfacing surgery in June 2022.
Washington Capitals Storylines
- Alex Ovechkin has goals in six straight games and 17 points in his last 16 outings. He has 836 career goals and needs just 59 more to break Wayne Gretzky's all-time record, and he is back on pace for a 20-goal campaign.
- Since his six-game goal streak, the Capitals have gone from 2.35 goals per game to 2.67.
- Connor McMichael has points in three of his last four outings.
- Nic Dowd has points in back-to-back games and Beck Malenstyn and Dylan Strome have points in two of their las three outings.
- Dylan Strome has points in two of his last three outings and continues to play an integral role for Washington.
- T.J. Oshie has three points in his last three games.
- Anthony Mantha, who loves to play in his home province, is coming off a two-assist performance.
How To Watch Capitals vs. Canadiens
The game will be live on Monumental Sports Network and be streamed on ESPN+.
Fans can also tune in on Caps Radio 24/7 and 106.7 FM The Fan.