Montreal Canadiens (15-17-3, eighth in the Atlantic Division) vs. Washington Capitals (20-13-5, third in the Metropolitan Division)
Washington; Saturday, 4 p.m. EST
BOTTOM LINE: The Montreal Canadiens head into the matchup with the Washington Capitals after losing four games in a row.
Washington has an 11-5-2 record in home games and a 20-13-5 record overall. The Capitals have a +14 scoring differential, with 118 total goals scored and 104 conceded.
Montreal is 8-9-3 on the road and 15-17-3 overall. The Canadiens have an 11-3-1 record in games they score three or more goals.
The matchup Saturday is the second time these teams square off this season. The Capitals won 3-1 in the last matchup.
TOP PERFORMERS: Alex Ovechkin has 23 goals and 19 assists for the Capitals. Erik Gustafsson has scored five goals with five assists over the past 10 games.
Cole Caufield has 19 goals and nine assists for the Canadiens. Jordan Harris has four assists over the past 10 games.
LAST 10 GAMES: Capitals: 8-1-1, averaging four goals, 6.8 assists, 2.9 penalties and 6.2 penalty minutes while giving up two goals per game.
Canadiens: 2-7-1, averaging 1.7 goals, 3.2 assists, 5.3 penalties and 14.4 penalty minutes while giving up 3.1 goals per game.
INJURIES: Capitals: Carl Hagelin: out (hip), John Carlson: out (face), Martin Fehervary: out (upper-body), Connor Brown: out (lower body), Tom Wilson: out (knee), Nicklas Backstrom: out (hip), T.J. Oshie: out (upper body).
Canadiens: Sean Monahan: out (foot), Carey Price: out (knee), Emil Heineman: out (thumb), David Savard: out (upper-body), Brendan Gallagher: out (lower-body), Paul Byron: out (hip), Michael Matheson: out (lower-body).
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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
