Courtesy: sports.nationalpost.com
WASHINGTON — Just a week ago, the Washington Capitals and Montreal Canadiens were facing off at Verizon Center for a Friday night showdown.
Montreal came out of our nation’s capital with a 3-2 victory in game hard-fought game that left both teams exhausted. Â Washington is looking to avoid a five-game losing streak as they desperately need a win after four-straight lackluster performances — the three regulation losses in that span have been at home.
Washington will have a change to the lineup that doesn’t come as much of a surprise to many. Forward Brooks Laich missed the morning skate Friday at the Kettler Capitals Iceplex due to tightness he was experiencing and hampering his ability to skate at 100%. The lower-body injury will sideline him for tonight’s game as center Jay Beagle will suit up for the first time since Oct. 16 and join the middle of the third line that features Jason Chimera and Joel Ward.
The move isn’t too surprising as Laich looked sluggish in Wednesday’s game against Ottawa and he may need the extra rest considering the Capitals are back at it tomorrow night at Nassau Coliseum to face the New York Islanders. There is no word on whether or not the Capitals will play him Saturday, but the Canadiens also have a contest tomorrow as they face the Toronto Maple Leafs at home Saturday night. The importance of snagging a victory in tonight’s game cannot be overstated for both sides.
These two teams are heading in different directions as Washington has gone 0-3-1 in its last four games, while the Canadiens have won their last four. Over their last eight games, Montreal has not allowed more than two goals to opponents and as a result have played to a 6-1-1 record. Washington is 3-4-1 and has allowed at least three goals to opponents six times in those games. It’s no secret that the Capitals have been struggling defensively, so they will need a big game tonight from starting goaltender Braden Holtby as he gets the start in favor of Michal Neuvirth tonight. Neuvirth was supposed to start, but was limping out of the tunnel as the Capitals took the ice, hence why Holtby gets the nod.
Peter Budaj will be opposite of Neuvirth between the pipes for the Canadiens as he did so this time last week. Budaj put forth a stellar performance as his crease control and movement were on point as the Capitals had plenty of chances to get pucks past him, but he stood tall.
In order for the Capitals to win this game, they must do three things:
1. Get the power play going with Alexander Ovechkin and Nicklas Backstrom
2. Push the pace on the fast Canadiens and corral them in the slot by preventing consistent penetration in front of Neuvirth
3. Limit the mental mistakes defensively and play fundamental hockey
The third one is the main issue with Washington as of late as they’ve tried to get too cute instead of playing with maximum effort by keeping things simple. Eric Fehr and Marcus Johansson both said after Wednesday’s 6-4 loss to Ottawa that the Capitals didn’t handle their 3-1 lead after one properly and thought the rest of the hockey game would be easy. Given the hot streak the Canadiens are on, if Washington finds themselves up early again, they must stick the knife in by keeping the foot on the gas and keeping the pressure on Budaj because the Capitals showed last time they could penetrate the defense of Montreal. Finishing shots, plays and 50-50 pucks will separate the winner and loser tonight.
