Music: {allcanada} Montreal (27-18-5) at Washington (27-15-9)

Monday, January 31, 2011

{allcanada} Montreal (27-18-5) at Washington (27-15-9)

Game info: 7:30 pm EST Tue Feb 1, 2011
TV: TSN, RDS

Sitting four points out of first place at the All-Star break probably isn't a huge surprise for the Montreal Canadiens.

The Washington Capitals, however, weren't expecting to occupy the same position in the Southeast Division.

After a disappointing first half, the Capitals hope to fire up their inconsistent offense and claim another victory over visiting Montreal as they return to the ice Tuesday night.

Washington's offensive struggles can, by some measure, be traced back to the Canadiens. After leading the NHL in scoring by a wide margin during the 2009-10 regular season, the top-seeded Capitals lost to Montreal in the first round of the playoffs, scoring one goal in each of the final three games to squander a 3-1 series lead.

This season, Washington (27-15-9) ranks tied for 17th at 2.71 goals per game, with superstar Alex Ovechkin (notes) on pace for career lows in goals and points. While implementing a more defensive-minded approach, the Capitals have scored two or fewer goals 24 times, something that happened 16 times all of last season.

They suffered their seventh shutout Wednesday at Atlanta, losing 1-0 despite outshooting the Thrashers 36-24.

"If you can't score, you can't score," coach Bruce Boudreau said. "It wasn't for lack of effort. Our power play was good. We just can't score goals right now. We're trying so hard, but we can't score goals."

Ovechkin won his third straight breakaway challenge at the skills competition in Raleigh over the weekend, but scoring in regulation has been a far more difficult task. He has a league-high 234 shots on goal, but his 19 goals are half of NHL leader Steven Stamkos'(notes) total.

Stamkos has helped the resurgent Tampa Bay Lightning set the pace in the Southeast, which Washington won by 38 points in 2009-10.

Ovechkin had an empty-net goal against Montreal on Dec. 28, helping the Capitals claim a 3-0 victory in the first meeting since their playoff collapse.

"It was last season," Ovechkin said. "Right now, it's a different year and a different season."

Washington's Semyon Varlamov (notes) had 25 saves in that game. While he has lost four straight starts, Varlamov is 4-3-2 with a 1.73 goals-against average since Christmas.

After trading away Capitals nemesis Jaroslav Halak (notes) over the summer, Montreal (27-18-5) has relied heavily on goaltender Carey Price (notes) all season. Price is tied for second in the NHL with 24 wins and ninth with a 2.36 GAA, but he's 2-3-3 with a 3.44 GAA in his career against Washington, including postseason.

Price and the Canadiens entered the All-Star break on a sour note after last Tuesday's 5-2 loss at Philadelphia, but they're still 7-2-3 in their last 12 to stay in playoff position and within striking distance of Northeast Division-leading Boston.

"(Last Tuesday) was a big game and a big loss," Montreal captain Brian Gionta (notes) said. "But we're up to the break now, and we'll just have to use that our advantage, and then come back, ready to go."

Michael Cammalleri (notes) seems unlikely to be ready to face Washington. The forward, who ranks second on the Canadiens with 31 points and had 10 against the Capitals in the playoffs, has missed the last three games with a separated shoulder.

Washington may have Alexander Semin (notes) (groin) back in the lineup for the first time since Jan. 8. Semin, who scored 40 goals last season but hasn't found the net since Nov. 28, signed a one-year contract extension Thursday.