Montréal At Washington Preview: Capitals Host The Canadiens On Friday

Posted on November 14, 2019 by Della Young
Screen Shot 2019-11-14 at 11.59.05 AM.pngPhoto: Susan Walsh / AP

The Washington Capitals beat the Philadelphia Flyers 2-1 in their second straight shootout victory Wednesday night at Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia. The Capitals now return to Capital One Arena for a Friday night date with the Montréal Canadiens. Puck drop is set for just after 7:00 P.M. ET on NBC Sports Washington.

Canadiens

Last season, Montréal defeated the Capitals in one of three meetings, which was a 6-4 victory at Bell Centre on November 1. Washington rallied back to win the season series 2-1 against the Eastern Conference opponent.

The Habs won 3-2 in a shootout at home over the Columbus Blue Jackets on Tuesday. Montréal is currently second in the Atlantic Division and eighth in the NHL. They have gone 10-5-3 and have picked up 23 points in 18 games. The Canadiens have a 4-2-3 record on the road this season. In addition, the team has a 78-64-9 history versus Washington.

Forward Jonathan Drouin is the team leader with 15 points. Scoring in Tuesday’s win, forward Brendan Gallagher has posted eight goals. Forward Tomas Tatar has picked up four points in his last five games and ties with captain Shea Weber at nine assists.

Goaltender Carey Price is expected to start on Friday. He made 33 saves and allowed two goals in the Habs’ victory over the Blue Jackets. This season, Price has gone 9-4-2 in the 15 games he’s started. The netminder has a Save Percentage of .916, 2.65 Goals-Against Average, and one shutout. Price’s record versus the Capitals is 7-14-5, which include a .890 Save Percentage and 3.34 Goals-Against Average.

The Canadiens have a 20.7% power play efficiency, ranking them 14th in the league. Montréal’s penalty kill efficiency (73.7%) places them 28th overall. Forward Joel Armia has three power play goals. Tatar leads with 20 penalty minutes.

Capitals

The Capitals extended their point streak to 13 games after the win in Philly. They continue to lead the Metropolitan Division and the NHL with 32 points and have gone 14-2-4 in 20 games. Washington’s home record this season is 5-1-3.

Defenseman John Carlson reached the 30-point plateau in Wednesday’s matchup. He has picked up seven points in his last five games. Captain Alex Ovechkin leads with 13 goals.

Forward Carl Hagelin, who has missed three games (upper-body), was the first player on the ice for Thursday’s optional skate at Medstar Capitals Iceplex. He is still listed as day-to-day.

Goaltender Braden Holtby made 30 saves and allowed one goal in the victory over the Flyers. He improved to 9-1-3, a .903 Save Percentage, and 3.06 Goals-Against Average. Holtby’s history versus the Habs is 13-2-2, which include a .943 Save Percentage and 1.67 Goals-Against Average. With a back-to-back set on Friday (Montreal) and Saturday (at Boston), it’s likely that Holtby will go Friday and Samsonov will get the game in Boston.

Washington has a 22.9% efficient power play, placing them ninth in the league. When a man down, the Capitals are 84.9% efficient. Ovechkin continues to lead with five power play goals. Defenseman Radko Gudas has picked up 21 penalty minutes.

By Della Young

About Della Young

Della Young is an aspiring novelist and screenwriter who earned a BFA in Creative Writing from Full Sail University in 2021. She is currently pursuing a Master of Arts in Screenwriting from Regent University. Della comes from a family of big Capitals fans and became inspired to start writing for hockey in 2019. In her spare time, she enjoys traveling, cooking, and working on both sides of the camera. Follow Della on Twitter: @dellayoung
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