Adam Williams presents his prediction for the NHL match.
Is the strong early-season run of the Montreal Canadiens already coming to an end? A little more than a month has passed. They are still in the top three in the Atlantic Division, but they are only one point above the line separating the play-off places. The Washington Capitals are right behind them and will definitely move above them if they win this game.
Montreal Canadiens
In their last seven games the Montreal Canadiens have only one win, and at the Bell Centre they have now lost three in a row, suffering heavy defeats against the Los Angeles Kings (1:5) and the Dallas Stars (0:7). The hosts had not previously lost by such wide margins. What went so badly wrong on the ice against the Stars? A disastrous second period, in which the visitors scored four goals from eight shots. None of them came on the power play: they conceded shorthanded only once, in the first period. Unsurprisingly, goaltender Jakub Dobeš was replaced after the second period with a save percentage of 61.5%. The first-choice goaltender Sam Montembeault will start against the Washington Capitals; in that game he allowed two goals from six shots in 20 minutes.
Washington Capitals
The only drawback for the Washington Capitals, who have won three of their last five games and taken another to overtime, is that they will have to play this one straight after flying in. Last night the visitors beat the Edmonton Oilers (7:4) on home ice. Logan Thompson did relax a little (86.7%), but overall he has been excellent this season with a 92% save percentage, consistently among the top five goaltenders in the league. For the game against the Montreal Canadiens, backup Charlie Lindgren is expected to start. He can have dips in form, but he was the one who carried the side to victory on 17 November, when they beat the same Los Angeles Kings (2:1), a team currently on a strong run in the East. The netminder posted a 96.8% save percentage in that game and is at 89.3% for the season.
Montreal Canadiens vs Washington Capitals Prediction
With results like those of the Washington Capitals, betting on the over or the under is risky, but we have little doubt that they can at least stay within the handicap in this game despite the fatigue.
