Sat. March 24 Washington Capitals @ Montreal Canadiens
Place: Bell Centre
Time: 7:00 p.m.
TV: NBCSWA
Radio: 106.7 The Fan, Capitals Radio 24/7
NHL.COM
Montreal Canadiens 66-27-36-12 Last Game: Mar 23 Won 3-0 Against Sabres
Washington Capitals 93-43-24-7 Last Game: Mar 22 Won 1-0 Against Red Wings
8-Ovechkin 92-Kuznetsov 43-Wilson
65-Burakovsky 19-Bäckström 77-Oshie
13-Vrana 20-Eller 10-Connolly
18-Stephenson 83-Beagle 39-Chiasson
6-Kempny 74-Carlson
9-Orlov 2-Niskanen
44-Orpik 28-Jerabek
31-Grubauer (starter)
1-Copley
-- SCRATCH --
25-Smith-Pelly
63-Gersich
29-Djoos
70-Holtby (precautionary maintenance day)
-- INJURED RESERVE --
-- 1st Powerplay Unit --
77-Oshie 19-Bäckström 92-Kuznetsov
8-Ovechkin 74-Carlson
-- 2nd Powerplay Unit --
13-Vrana 20-Eller 65-Burakovsky
2-Niskanen 9-Orlov
Referees: Marc Joannette (#25), Jake Brenk (#26)
Linesmen: Matt MacPherson (#83), Scott Driscoll (#68)
1st Period08:35 Habs GOAL Galchenyuk 1-0 MTL
11:11 PP GOAL 92-Kuznetsov, assists 74-Carlson & 19-Bäckström 1-1 TIE
14:49 GOAL 43-Wilson, assist 19-Bäckström 2-1 WSH
18:11 GOAL 43-Wilson, assist 19-Bäckström & 65-Burakovsky 3-1 WSH
2nd Period04:52 GOAL 83-Beagle, assists 9-Orlov & 39-Chiasson 4-1 WSH
19:58 Habs GOAL Hudon 4-2 WSH
3rd Period01:10 PP GOAL 92-Kuznetsov, assists 19-Bäckström & 74-Carlson 5-2 WSH
04:52 GOAL 28-Jerabek, assist 65-Burakovsky 6-2 WSH
09:28 Habs GOAL Hudon 6-3 WSH
18:03 Habs PP GOAL Gallagher 6-4 WSH
FINAL: 6-4 WSH
by Isabelle Khurshudyan March 24 at 1:18 PM
Capitals center Evgeny Kuznetsov returns to the lineup after missing three games with injury
Capitals center Evgeny Kuznetsov is back in the lineup against the Canadiens. (Ricky Carioti/The Washington Post)
MONTREAL — Evgeny Kuznetsov will be back to centering the Washington Capitals’ first line on Saturday night after he missed the past three games with an undisclosed “upper-body” injury.
“That’s my first time when I miss the game by the injury since I get a few scratches [in 2014], you know?” Kuznetsov said. “It’s feeling weird, you know? But I feel sometimes it even gets you better. You get rest a little bit. You get extra practice, and you get a chance to watch the hockey from upstairs. … Some stadiums have better hot dogs. But it looks like I’m not going to try hot dog today; I know it’s very good place for food.”
Kuznetsov is Washington’s second-leading scorer with 21 goals and 50 assists this season, and just as he was before he got hurt a week ago, he will be between captain Alex Ovechkin and right wing Tom Wilson when the Capitals play the Montreal Canadiens. Nicklas Backstrom will then center wingers T.J. Oshie and Andre Burakovsky on a second line.
“Obviously, he’s one of the top players in the league,” Coach Barry Trotz said of Kuznetsov. “You miss his speed and you miss his skill. From a matchup side, you have a sort of two-headed monster with him and Backy. I think for the [opponent], it puts a lot more pressure on them. We missed him on the power play, we missed him five-on-five — he’s a dynamic player.”
Goaltender Braden Holtby continues to be “day-to-day” with an undisclosed “lower-body” injury, so Philipp Grubauer will get a second straight start after he made 39 saves for a shutout in the team’s 1-0 win in Detroit on Thursday. Pheonix Copley, called up from the American Hockey League on Thursday afternoon, will again be Grubauer’s backup netminder. Holtby again took shots in the team’s morning skate, but Trotz is opting for caution.
“We’re getting closer,” Trotz said. “You know how valuable your asset is, especially in net. We just want to make sure we’re 100 percent. I just said to Holts, ‘Once you get absolutely 100 percent, then we’re going to put you back in.’ But we’re not going to even go there in case something happened to Grubi, and then you’re putting in a guy that’s not at a 100 percent and then he gets hurt and your whole season can be in jeopardy. I said, ‘I’m not going to go there, so once your 100 percent ready to go, then we’ll put you as a backup or a starter.’”
