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Montreal Canadiens at Washington Capitals

Wed Oct 147:30 PM ETESPN+Washington, DC
By JR·2 min read
Canadiens(3-2-1)
Capitals(3-3-0)
Wednesday 10/147:30 PM

TLDR: Montreal and Washington both played Tuesday night, and both blue lines are short. Wednesday at Capital One Arena goes to whichever thinned-out roster has more left on the second night of a back-to-back.

WED 10/14, 7:30 PMESPN+
Canadiens
(3-2-1)
WWLLL
Capitals
(3-3-0)
LLWWL

Montreal (3-2-1) and Washington (3-3-0) both played Tuesday and meet Wednesday on the second night of a back-to-back, each missing key defensemen: Mike Matheson for the Canadiens, Matt Roy and Rasmus Sandin for the Capitals. Montreal has looked sharper defensively over its last 2 games but is expected to switch from Jacob Fowler to Jakub Dobes in goal. Washington may get top center Pierre-Luc Dubois back after 2 games out sick, and that is the biggest lineup question.

Montreal Canadiens
  • Allowed 3 goals over last 2 games after a leaky start
  • Outshot Buffalo 25-14 in Tuesday's shootout win
  • Fowler's 1-0 shutout shows the goaltending depth
  • Matheson, their second-most-used defenseman, day-to-day
  • Demidov, Kapanen on IR; forward depth thinned
  • Traveling to DC on the second night of a back-to-back
Washington Capitals
  • Dubois could return from illness for this one
  • At home after a short trip back from Raleigh
  • Scored in each of the first 2 periods at Carolina

Montreal comes to DC at 3-2-1 off a 4-3 shootout win over Buffalo at the Bell Centre on Tuesday, and that one was closer than it needed to be. The Canadiens outshot the Sabres 25-14 and led 3-1 in the 2nd, then gave up 2 in the 3rd against a team missing Rasmus Dahlin and playing its own back-to-back. Washington is 3-3-0 and has lost 2 straight as of Wednesday. The latest was a 3-2 loss in Raleigh where the Capitals were tied going into the 3rd and Andrei Svechnikov's late goal beat them. Puck drop is 7:30 PM ET.

Both clubs have injuries in the same place: the blue line. Washington played Carolina without Matt Roy and Rasmus Sandin, and our recap pinned the 3rd-period collapse on that thin defense. Roy hasn't played since leaving the October 3 loss in Tampa, and Sandin is on long-term injured reserve with a knee injury. Montreal sat Mike Matheson against Buffalo with a lower-body injury, and he's listed as day-to-day. Matheson averages the second-most ice time on the team, so losing him moves everybody else up a pairing.

In goal, Jacob Fowler started 3 straight, and reporting out of Montreal had Jakub Dobes expected to get the net against Washington. Fowler earned it. He made 30 saves and stopped all 6 Detroit attempts in the shootout for a 1-0 win, his second career NHL shutout. Washington's start has been streakier: it beat Pittsburgh and the Rangers at home, then lost 5-3 to Seattle at home and again in Carolina.

Montreal Canadiens
(3-2-1)
10/13WvsSabres4-3
10/10WvsRed Wings1-0
10/08LvsPredators2-5
10/06LvsHurricanes4-6
10/03L@Penguins5-6
Washington Capitals
(3-3-0)
10/13L@Hurricanes2-4
10/11LvsKraken3-5
10/09WvsRangers3-1
10/07WvsPenguins5-3
10/03L@Lightning1-3

Montreal's season started with a lot of goals against: 6 to Pittsburgh, 6 to Carolina, 5 to Nashville, in 3 straight losses. Then came a 1-0 shutout and a game where Buffalo only got 14 shots. It's a small sample, but the last 2 games looked like the Canadiens fixed something. Wednesday tests that against a Capitals team that has scored 2 or more in 4 of its last 5, and it's Dobes, not Fowler, who's expected to be in net.

The forward group to watch is Washington's. Pierre-Luc Dubois has missed 2 straight with an illness and didn't travel to Raleigh. Washington-area reporting says he could be ready for Montreal. The Hockey News wrote that his absence hurt the Capitals in the Seattle loss even though Alex Ovechkin scored that night. Ovechkin is on his farewell tour, and Carolina gave him a standing ovation at the first TV timeout on Tuesday. Every home game he plays now draws a little extra attention.

Montreal is also playing without a lot of its young talent. Ivan Demidov is on IR with a lower-body injury and isn't expected back until at least October 31. Oliver Kapanen and Sam Montembeault are on IR too, and Florian Xhekaj is out. Lineup news decides this one. Watch whether Dubois is back at center for Washington, whether Matheson's day-to-day turns into a return, and whether Dobes is the goalie Montreal sends out with no rest. Both teams are tired, so whichever club gets the most players back has the edge.

Canadiens and Capitals Meet Wednesday, Both on No Rest | Polymarket Odds · Barstool Bush