The timing is good here for Washington, which has won five in a row.

The Capitals have revenge for a 2-1 home loss to Montreal from a little more than three weeks ago and draw the Canadiens, who finally return home after playing seven road games in 16 days finishing up this past Saturday with a 5-3 win against the Maple Leafs in Toronto. A team returning home from such a long road trip often faces many distractions so focus becomes an issue. The Capitals also have a strong history in Montreal winning in nine of their last 10 visits.

This is one of the few games where the Canadiens won't have a strong goalie edge. T.J. Oshie may not play for the Capitals, but the Canadiens are in far worse physical shape with numerous injuries, including a knee injury to Alex Galchenyuk and hand injury to Brendan Gallagher.