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Saturday in DC | PREVIEW: MTL @ WSH

Cole Jurzyniec

GAME DAY PREVIEW | Montreal Canadiens vs Washington Capitals: Preview, TV, Start Time, Statistical Match-up, Projected Lines, Starting Goalies, Keys to Victory, Habs Tickets

Game Preview 

A Look Back

In their home opener Ville Husso and the Detroit Red Wings were able to dismantle the Canadiens offense and shut them out. It was a chippy match as there were 62 hits recorded between both sides. Former teammates Brendan Gallagher and Ben Chiarot  unsurprisingly exchanged pleasantries. The final score takes away from Jake Allen’s outstanding performance as he was able to stop 37 shots on 38 shots against. The Wings capped off the game with two empty net goals to send the Canadiens packing.

Last game: MTL 0  DET 3  F

For a complete game recap: Motor City Shutdown | RECAP: MTL @ DET

Players to Watch

  • Josh Anderson
    The 6-foot-3-inch winger can use his speed, agility and size to create opportunities around the net.  Last season Anderson finished with 32 points through 69 games.  He was able to pot the game winner against Toronto last Wednesday and will be hungry to find more net moving forward in a more consistent way.
  • Arber Xhekaj
    The Hamilton native has been struggling to adjust to the pace at the NHL level but has heart, grit and determination. He has also been using his 6-foot-3-inch frame to his advantage, hammering opposing players. The 21-year-old will have the opportunity to prove his worth at the highest level while there are injuries on defence.
  • Nick Suzuki
    The new captain is playing consistent hockey through two games. H assisted the first and last goal against Toronto and has been winning key faceoffs for the team marking a 57.1 percent success rate so far.  Being paired up with Caufield for most of the season, it’s expected that these two will wreak havoc on teams moving forward.

Keys to Victory

  • Limit shots against
    Jake Allen was peppered with shots in Detroit. With Sam Montembeault possibly making his debut, the team will have to play a defensively structured game and get pucks out of their zone to limit the Capitals chances.
  • Play hard-nosed hockey
    The Canadiens have added some sizeable weapons to the roster, continuing to use the body to take players off the puck and utilizing their size in the offensive zone to maintain pressure will be ways of keeping the Caps on their toes.
  • Insulate the young players
    The newcomers are holding their own on the ice, at times, you can see the nerves but as long as the veterans keep paving the way, they will develop and continue to contribute.
Statistical Matchup for Game 3
Capital One Arena, Washington, DC | October 15, 7:00 PM ET | TV: SNE, CITY, TVAS, ESPN+, NBCSWA

2022-23  statistics
CAPITALS CANADIENS
0 (30th) Points (rank) 2 (12th)
0-2-0 Record 1-1-0
L2 Streak L1
0-2-0 Last 10 1-1-0
2.00 (25th) GF/G (rank) 2.00 (23rd)
4.00 (25th) GA/G (rank) 3.00 (19th)
00.0 (30th) PP% (rank) 00.0 (29th)
66.7 (26th) PK%  (rank) 100.0 (10th)
41.7  Faceoff % 55.2
Pre-game Quotes
Marty St. Louis on loss to Detroit
  • “It’s a match from which we will learn and we will be better.”
Projected Forwards, Defense and Goaltenders (subject to change)
Forwards
Ovechkin – Strome – Brown
Mantha – Kuznetsov – Oshie
Johansson – Eller – Protas
Sheary – Dowd – Hathaway		 Caufield – Suzuki – Anderson
Monahan – Dach – Dadonov
Slafkovsky – Dvorak – Gallagher
Drouin – Evans – Hoffman
Defensemen
Fehervary – Carlson
Orlov – Jensen
Gustafsson – Van Riemsdyk		 Guhle – Savard
Harris – Kovacevic
Xhekaj – Wideman
Out of the lineup
Scratched: Snively, McMichael, Irwin
Injured: Backstrom, Hagelin, Wilson		 Scratched: Pezzetta, Pitlick, Schueneman
Injured: Matheson (abdominal strain), Armia (upper-body), Edmundson (back), Heineman (finger),  Byron (hip), Price (knee)
Goalies
Darcy Kuemper Sam Montembeault
Record: 0-1-0
GAA: 4.15
Sv%: .862
SO: 0
Alternate: Charlie Lindgren		 Record: 0-0-0
GAA: 0.00
Sv%: 1.000
SO: 0
Alternate: Jake Allen
 Game Expectations
The Canadiens are going into Washington for a back-to-back against a hungry host who have lost their two first games of the season. The Capitals will be looking to put an end to their early losing streak and try to take advantage of a less fresh Canadiens squad.  The Habs need to hunker down and play smart hockey.

Bottom Line

The Canadiens need to focus on getting shots on net and avoid taking another shut-out loss, help out in defensive zone and let the kids fly.
 Video Highlights

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