Montreal Canadiens (5-13-2, seventh in the Atlantic) vs. Washington Capitals (11-3-5, third in the Metropolitan)
Washington; Wednesday, 7 p.m. EST
LINE: Capitals -196, Canadiens +160; over/under is 6
BOTTOM LINE: Alex Ovechkin and Washington hit the ice against Montreal. Ovechkin ranks third in the league with 30 points, scoring 15 goals and recording 15 assists.
The Capitals are 7-2-3 in Eastern Conference games. Washington is fifth in the Eastern Conference with 31.4 shots per game and is averaging 3.4 goals.
The Canadiens are 2-8-1 in Eastern Conference play. Montreal averages 10.6 penalty minutes per game, the seventh-most in the NHL. Brendan Gallagher leads the team serving 24 total minutes.
The matchup Wednesday is the first meeting of the season for the two teams.
TOP PERFORMERS: Ovechkin has 30 total points for the Capitals, 15 goals and 15 assists. Tom Wilson has six goals and three assists over the last 10 games for Washington.
Nicholas Suzuki leads the Canadiens with 10 total assists and has 14 points. Tyler Toffoli has three goals over the last 10 games for Montreal.
LAST 10 GAMES: Capitals: 6-2-2, averaging 3.2 goals, 5.6 assists, 2.3 penalties and 4.8 penalty minutes while giving up 2.1 goals per game with a .926 save percentage.
Canadiens: 3-5-2, averaging 2.5 goals, 4.4 assists, 3.8 penalties and 10.9 penalty minutes while giving up 3.2 goals per game with an .900 save percentage.
INJURIES: Capitals: Lars Eller: day to day (health protocols).
Canadiens: Jake Allen: day to day (upper body).
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