That’s what will be on display when the Montreal Canadiens host the Washington Capitals on Monday night at the Bell Centre.
The Canadiens are back home after a season-high seven-game road trip on which they earned 10 of a possible 14 points — including three straight to close out the voyage — despite a multitude of injuries. Montreal (25-9-6) sits atop the Atlantic Division with 56 points, just one point up on the Capitals (25-9-5), who have won five straight and currently hold the first Wild Card spot.
After a slow start to the season which included playing the month of November on a fractured foot, Canadiens captain Max Pacioretty has been pacing his team’s offense, racking up 14 goals and 19 points in his last 16 games. The 28-year-old leads the team with 34 points, including six game-winning goals.
Lately, he’s had some help from Alexander Radulov, who sits just behind Pacioretty with 31 points. After going six games without any points in mid-December, the talented winger has been in a groove of late, riding a six-game point streak into Monday’s tilt, recording eight points during that stretch.
“When (general manager) Marc (Bergevin) had signed Radulov and (acquired Weber) we were working together on Team Canada and I said to him, I’ll tell you what, you made some really good moves,” said Capitals coach Barry Trotz, who coached the first-year Habs when all three were in Nashville, after his team’s midday practice in suburban Montreal on Sunday. “Everybody was sort of wait and see and questioning, but I said those were terrific moves, and you’re seeing the benefits of those two players.”
And while veterans are leading the way for Montreal, the team’s youngsters stood out in its 5-3 win against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday night, with a trio of 21-year-olds scoring alongside Pacioretty and Radulov.
“We’ve had young guys stepping in and playing big minutes and scoring big goals,” Canadiens goaltender Carey Price said after the game. “It’s great to see.”
It’s expected to be a battle between the two most recent Vezina Trophy winners in goal with Price (2015) surely to get the start for Montreal while Braden Holtby (2016), who has pitched shutouts in his last two starts, is likely to get the nod for Washington.
Two key elements could return to the Canadiens’ lineup this week. Center Alex Galchenyuk (knee; out since Dec. 5) and defenseman Andrei Markov (groin; out since Dec. 18) practiced with the team on Friday in Toronto and are close to drawing back in.
The Capitals, meanwhile, have been one of the healthiest teams in the league this season, with just nine man-games lost to injury, seven of which are from when T.J. Oshie missed time in late November. Washington could be without Oshie again on Monday, as well as Tom Wilson. Both left Saturday’s game in Ottawa and were at a “wait-and-see” status, according to Trotz. The team was expected to recall veteran forward Paul Carey from the AHL’s Hershey Bears.
Oshie scored the lone goal in Saturday’s 1-0 win, with Nicklas Backstrom earning an assist on the tally, the 500th of his career.
Backstrom might not be alone in celebrating a milestone on the Capitals’ brief two-game road trip. Alexander Ovechkin is sitting on 543 career goals, one shy of Canadiens’ Hall of Famer Maurice Richard’s all-time total.
“He was a tremendous player, a legend,” Ovechkin said of potential tying the mark in Montreal. “To be in his company is a privilege and a huge honor.”
The 31-year-old, who sits one goal behind Pacioretty with 18 goals on the season, is also just four points away from 1,000 in his career. He was held off the scoresheet on Saturday but hasn’t gone more than a game without a point since early December.
“Ovi’s a guy that likes those big moments,” Trotz said. “I know he loves playing in Montreal; he always gets excited and since I’ve been here, he’s always played well in Montreal.”
The game marks Lars Eller’s return to the city he spent six seasons in before the Canadiens traded him to the Capitals at the 2016 draft.
“I think Lars was a little bit slower to get into what we do and understand what we’re doing,” Trotz said. “Now he’s feeling very comfortable and playing very good for us. I love the way he’s playing. He’s been a little bit snake-bit in terms of the production but his overall game is really strong right now.”
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