Morning Habit: Canadiens May Have A Different Look At Deadline by Kosta Papoulias

The Montreal Canadiens (31-13-3) return home to play host to the Washington Capitals (25-14-9) Saturday afternoon at the Bell Centre. The game starts bright and early at 1:00 and airs on RDS, Sportsnet, NHL network U.S., and CSN.

Here’s a quick look at what you need to know to get you ready for the game.

Match Up

This is the second of three games this season between the Habs and Caps, and the first of two in Montreal. The Canadiens already won the first meeting 2-1 by way of shootout. Back-up Dustin Tokarski posted 30 saves in what was his first game and victory of the season.

What to Watch



Canadiens: It seems as though Michel Therrien will be keeping his winning line combinations from Thursday intact, which means Dale Weise will maintain his spot on the top line alongside Tomas Plekanec and Max Pacioretty.

On the one hand, Weise has already surpassed his career best point totals, adding another assist on Thursday. On the other, even with the assist Weise has just 17 points on the year in 44 games, numbers that don’t exactly scream top line production.

Capitals: The Canadiens will once again need to go up against an elite goal scorer when the Capitals come to town. After facing Tyler Seguin on Tuesday and Rick Nash on Thursday, the Habs play host to the league leader in goals, Alex Ovechkin.

Ovechkin and his linemate Nicklas Backstrom have combined for 44 goals on the year. They’re a big part of why the Capitals are sixth in the league in goals per game, averaging 2.98 per outing.

What’s at Stake

A win against the Capitals would guarantee the Canadiens top spot in the Atlantic division, at least until the Lightning complete their own game later in the day. The Habs, along with the Bolts and the Red Wings, are in the midst of a tight three-way race for top seed in the Atlantic division, a race that shows no signs of letting up anytime soon. Just one point separates the three teams, but with their games in hand, the Habs hold the advantage in terms of points percentage.

Who’s Out



The Canadiens are still without P.A. Parenteau (concussion), but are otherwise healthy heading into this weekend’s action. With games on Saturday and Sunday, expect Carey Price and Dustin Tokarski to split goaltending duties this weekend.

The Capitals will be without defenseman Nate Schmidt (shoulder) for an extended period, he suffered a shoulder injury after being reassigned to the AHL in January.

What Else

With their fourth straight win the Canadiens claimed the longest current win streak in NHL, and their7-2-1 record in the last 10 games has them behind only the Wings (8-2-0) and the Blues (9-0-1) for most points over that span.

The Question Mark

Here’s your chance to tell us what you think: What has been the most interesting Habs related storyline so far this season?

Leave a comment below or submit your answer on Twitter by using the #MTLHockey hashtag. We’ll be reading your answer on the Montreal Hockey Talk Habs Pregame Show, which starts an hour before each game on montrealhockeytalk.com.