WHAT’S HAPPENING AT THE BELL CENTRE
As mentioned earlier, it’s Molson FANatic Saturdays at the Bell Centre, and as such, fans can kick off festivities at a pregame party at 4:30 p.m. at Les Trois Monkeys on Peel St., steps away from the Bell Centre. By participating in the pregame Trivia at Les Trois Monkeys, one winner will get to participate in Molson Lucky Shots to shoot three pucks from the ice at intermission for various prizes.
Head to the Bell Centre and watch local artist PONY complete her artwork at the M2 Marché Montréal Loto-Québec as part of the The Artist Series presented by Loto-Québec.
Finally, Monster Energy guest DJ TIZI spinning tunes in bowl for warmups. Fans can catch her set on Twitch for a chance to win a prize.
TEAM COMPARISONS
“Keep the good times rolling” is probably what the Canadiens are thinking heading into the third of five games on home ice where the team has defeated the New York Islanders (2-1 OT) and Nashville Predators (3-0) this week. Having a healthy Patrik Laine is certainly a plus with the 26-year-old forward scoring twice since returning to play on December 3. While his performances have been impressive, especially considering the amount of time he has missed due to injury, it would be wrong to attribute the team’s recent success solely to him. Samuel Montembeault collected his third shutout of the season in Thursday’s win and is tied for first in shutouts in the League. That night, Jake Evans notched a goal and an assist, joining Joel Armia as the only other Hab to score a shorthanded tally this season. Nick Suzuki (3G, 5A) and Lane Hutson (6A) also extended their respective point streaks to five games.
The Canadiens will have to bring their ‘A’ game on Saturday with the Capitals in town. Luckily for Martin St-Louis' troops, Washington will be playing the second game of a back-to-back after defeating the Toronto Maple Leafs 3-1 on Friday at Scotiabank Arena. The victory allowed the Caps to extend their road winning streak to eight games, a franchise record. Despite losing Alex Ovechkin to a lower-body injury on November 18, the Caps have a 5-2-1 record during his absence, relying on their strong offense which has yielded a League-leading 105 goals so far this season. It’s only fitting that Spencer Carbery’s team sits on top of the Metropolitan Division with 38 points, tied with the New Jersey Devils.
SEASON SERIES
The Canadiens and Capitals will face each other three times this season. So far, the visitors have the upper hand on the home side after winning 6-3 in Washington on October 31.
PLAYERS TO WATCH FOR
MTL: Suzuki is poised to play in his 400th-career NHL game tonight. With eight points in his last five outings, the Canadiens captain leads the team with 27 points in 26 games and is on pace for 85 points this season. On November 11, the 25-year-old centerman reached the 300-point milestone in a 7-5 win over the Buffalo Sabres. That game, he likewise matched a single-game career high with four points (first established on March 25, 2023).
Lane Hutson also deserves a mention. According to NHL PR, the 20-year-old defenseman has set the second-longest assist streak by a rookie blue-liner in Habs history, behind Chris Chelios (6 GP in 1984-85), with a helper on Laine’s goal on Thursday.
WSH: Connor McMichael is set to have a career year. With 25 points in 26 games, the 23-year-old is on pace for 79 points. To put his impressive output in perspective, McMicheal established a career-best 33 points (18G, 15A) in 80 games last season.
FORMER HABS
Forward Lars Eller (2010-11 to 2015-16)
Goaltender Charlie Lindgren (2015-16 to 2019-20)
BY THE NUMBERS: Capitals-Canadiens
Here’s how the Capitals and Canadiens match up by the numbers:
