It’s game number 45 tonight for the Canadiens, with the Washington Capitals paying a visit to the Bell Centre, and of course the team needs to continue to build off their decent if unspectacular last-minute win over the Lightning on Thursday.
A lousy game for the Habs will mean the slump isn’t ended, and it’s imperative that it has.
The last time these two teams met, on April 9th in Montreal, the Capitals squeezed out a 3-2 win, and it was the line of Lars Eller, Alex Galchenyuk, and Brandon Prust who stood tall, with Eller scoring both Habs goals, Galchenyuk adding two assists and Prust one. It was also Rene Bourque’s first game back after his concussion situation, and he surprised all of us with his six solid hits.
It might also have been the beginning of Carey Price’s recent shakiness, as I mentioned in my game post from that night:
Maybe Carey Price wasn’t sensational. A couple of long shots with seeing eyes found their way past him. A puck in close bounced up and probably hit Andrei Markov’s stick before going in. But aside from the first period when he was getting it done in fine fashion, he wasn’t tremendously sharp, even though the goals might not have been his fault.
A netminder on top of his game will come up with the impossible in situations like these. Leave fans gasping and the other team pulling their hair out. Price fell slightly short of this on this night.
Random Notes:
Looks like Raphael Diaz is finally back, which is such great news. Now, if some slimy Caps player goes after Diaz’s head, the guy should be suspended for the entire playoffs.
The game plan is this – frustrate Alex Ovechkin, and wipe that annoying grin off Mike Ribeiro’s face.