The Washington Capitals will attempt to string back-to-back wins together for the first time in nearly three weeks when they host the Montreal Canadiens on Friday.
The Canadiens have been one of the hottest teams in the NHL since the holiday break ended. Coach Martin St. Louis’ team has won five of six games, including a 5-4 overtime win Monday at home over the Vancouver Canucks.
The Habs’ current streak includes wins over the defending Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers, Tampa Bay Lightning, Vegas Golden Knights and Colorado Avalanche. Those wins against teams in playoff positions have all come on the road, and after three days off, Montreal gets a chance to add another against the Metropolitan Division-leading Capitals, who defeated the visiting Canucks on Wednesday 2-1 in overtime.
Montreal, which has missed the playoffs the past three seasons after making the Stanley Cup Final in 2021, currently sits a point out of the final wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference. The schedule will not get any easier in the coming days. A home game against the Dallas Stars awaits on Saturday, and the next two weeks include a road game against the Stars and home contests versus the Toronto Maple Leafs and Lightning.
St. Louis, though, is not one to believe the games are getting harder at the midway point of the season.
“We just need to focus on what makes us successful, and can we repeat that,” he told reporters Thursday. “Whether we win or lose, can we turn the page and go to work and earn it again? And that’s our focus.”
Nick Suzuki, who leads Montreal in assists (29) and points (41), scored a power-play goal in overtime to complete the win over the Canucks after having two assists in regulation.
Montreal will once again be without Patrik Laine, who has not played since New Year’s Eve. While he practiced some Thursday, the team announced he will not make the trip to Washington as he battles flu-like symptoms.
Laine missed the first quarter of the season due to a preseason knee injury. In 13 games, the winger has eight goals, all on the power play, and two assists.
David Savard, who also has not played since Dec. 31, will miss the Capitals game due to an upper-body injury.
The Capitals have alternated between wins and losses since losing to the Boston Bruins on Dec. 23. Despite that, they have been able to leapfrog the New Jersey Devils for first place in the division.
Pierre-Luc Dubois scored both goals in the Capitals’ win, pushing his points streak to five games.
Second-year coach Spencer Carbery told reporters that the win against Vancouver felt a little different compared to other games this season. While the Capitals have the second-most goals in the NHL (150), he said the team knew it would have to put the emphasis on defense to beat the Canucks.
“And we did that,” he said. “We were committed to that, which we can carry that over.”
While much of the attention paid to Washington has been focused on Alex Ovechkin’s pursuit of Wayne Gretzky’s career goal-scoring record, Dubois has escalated his game of late. Besides the current streak, he also has recorded a goal or an assist in 10 of his last 11 (three goals, nine assists). The left winger now ranks second on the team in assists with 26 and third in points with 33.
