Marc Dumont
The Montreal Canadiens (4-5-1) are on the road and set to face Alexander Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals (6-2-0). The puck drop is scheduled for 7pm ET.
The road game happens to be taking place on Halloween, but nothing could be scarier than the team’s last game, which ended in an 8-2 win at the Bell Centre by the Seattle Kraken. It was the type of game that most teams want to forget, as Seattle defenceman Brandon Montour scored his first career hat trick.
There were a couple of bright spots to discuss. Juraj Slafkovsky, who had missed the last two games to injury, returned to the lineup and recorded an assist. The 20-year-old Slovak currently has one goal and seven points through as many games this season.
Unsurprisingly, Cole Caufield scored yet again, giving him nine goals this season, good for second overall in the NHL. He has scored goals in three straight games, and hasn’t gone more than two games without scoring this year.
On Thursday, Caufield will be playing with a new linemate, as Emil Heineman received a promotion to the top line in an attempt to spread some of the talent throughout the lineup. Consequently, Kirby Dach, who played well with Caufield and Nick Suzuki in the last two games, will anchor the second line with Alex Newhook and Juraj Slafkovsky.
The Brendan Gallagher, Jake Evans, and Josh Anderson line will remain intact, whereas Joel Armia has been demoted to a fourth-line assignment. Goaltender Cayden Primeau will receive the start for the Habs, while former Canadiens goaltender Charlie Lindgren will be his Capitals counterpart.
It should also be noted both Justin Barron and Kaiden Guhle will return to the lineup after recovering from their respective injuries, which means defenceman Arber Xhekaj will be made a healthy scratch.
On Topic: Canadiens Run New Lines At Practice Following Frustrating Loss
The Capitals will be a difficult opponent, as they seemed to have returned to their winning ways thanks to the most talented goalscorer in the history of the NHL, Alexander Ovechkin. The 39-year-old currently has four goals and three assists in eight games, including Tuesday night’s two-goal effort. The Russian sniper now has 857 career goals to his credit, just 37 behind Wayne Gretzky for first all-time.
The Canadiens able to win two of three games versus the Capitals last year, including a 5-2 victory at Capital One Arena, led by two two-goal performances by both Slafkovsky and captain Nick Suzuki.
Projected Montreal Canadiens Lineup
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Washington Capitals Canadiens Lineup
Protas – Strome – Ovechkin
McMichael – Dubois – Wilson
Vrana – Sgarbossa – Mangiapane
Duhaime – Dowd – Raddysh
Fehervary – Carlson
Sandin – van Riemsdyk
Alexeyev – McIlrath
Lindgren
How to Watch The Montreal Canadiens vs. The Washington Capitals, October 31, 2024.
Game 11 of the regular season will be aired on TSN2 and RDS. Once the game is over, an instant recap complete with highlights will be available on Montreal Hockey Now.
