Game #60
Caps (41-12-6, 88 points) at Montreal Canadiens (28-26-6, 62 points)
There’s never a good time to lose power. But when the local hockey team is going for its 15 win in a row it is especially poor timing. I hope most of you out there get through the day with the lights still on and the television ready for some hockey tonight.
Not sure what to expect from the Canadiens. Montreal is missing left wings Mike Cammalleri (26 G, 22 A) and Andre Kostitsyn (12 G, 13 A) and defenseman Marc-Andre Bergeron (10 G, 18 A). That’s three of their top six scorers sidelined with assorted knee injuries. The Canadiens are fighting to hold onto the seventh spot in the Eastern Conference playoff chase. But they are just one point ahead of ninth-place Boston and one point behind sixth-place Tampa Bay in a jumbled mess.
The atmosphere is always great at Centre Bell. It seems to rise a notch when Alex Ovechkin is in town. It should be downright electric tonight with the long winning streak on the line. The two teams have split the last four games at Centre Bell with the Caps winning the latest on Nov. 28, a 4-3 shootout. The game also matches the NHL’s two best power plays with Washington at 26% and Montreal at 24.9%.
In goal for the Caps? I’d guess Bruce Boudreau would want to keep goalie Jose Theodore away from the hype that comes with playing in his hometown. The Quebec native won Vezina and Hart Trophies for Montreal in 2002 and has played there just once since being traded in 2006 – an 8-5 loss with the Colorado Avalanche on Oct. 21, 2006. In that case rookie Michal Neuvirth would make sense. He played well against Atlanta last Friday and Theodore could start Thursday against Ottawa in the second of a back-to-back. But remember, Semyon Varlamov is also on the trip and appears ready to get a start in before the Olympic break after missing two months with knee and groin injuries.
A win and Washington ties the 1981-82 New York Islanders for the second-longest winning streak in the 92-year history of the NHL. Only the 1992-93 Pittsburgh Penguins would remain above them. The Caps would also set a new team record for longest unbeaten streak – dating back to the days when the NHL still had ties. The 1982-83 and 1983-84 teams both had 14 games in a row without a loss. Washington can tie its franchise record for most consecutive road wins (6).
