David meet Goliath, as the non-playoff Montreal Canadiens visit the powerhouse Washington Capitals on Friday, looking to keep their 11-5 hot streak and “in the mix” aspirations alive. To be completely accurate, the Habs and Caps have actually met each other several times this season, with the first-in-the-Eastern Conference Capitals having won each time. This time, circumstances are drastically different, though.
Canadiens 0-2 vs. Capitals
On the first occasion, on Halloween, the Capitals broke open a 3-3 game in the third to win 6-3. Coming off an embarrassing 8-2 defeat at the hands of the Seattle Kraken a few nights earlier, the Canadiens had probably been playing with a chip on their collective shoulder. To a degree they successfully proved themselves, having kept the game close for two periods. Nevertheless, it was a failure in that they still got outshot 34-15, amounting to proof the then-4-6-1 Habs had a long way to go before climbing back to .500, which they could have accomplished with a win.
That first loss to the Capitals marked the second of six straight defeats, which dropped the Canadiens to 4-9-2. By early December, they had fallen to 8-13-3. Then on a slight roll, the Habs played them again on Dec. 7, missing an opportunity for a third straight victory. Despite a 2-0 first-period lead, the Habs lost 4-2 to the Caps, who had been missing star Alexander Ovechkin to injury.
Ovechkin, despite struggling to find his groove statistically since coming back in December, represents another reason why the Capitals are a huge threat. In a lot of ways actually, they’re a different beast than the recent powerhouses the Canadiens have faced and, to their credit, beaten.
Canadiens Competing Against Stanley Cup Contenders
Since the holiday break, the Habs have won games against the Florida Panthers, Tampa Bay Lightning, Vegas Golden Knights and Colorado Avalanche, in effect the last four Stanley Cup champions. However, as mentioned earlier, the Caps lead the Eastern Conference. The Lightning and Avs were each “only” wild-card teams heading into action Thursday night.
It was also the first time the Canadiens had faced either team this season. Ditto for the Panthers, the implication being it’s possible the Habs simply match up well against each of them, especially with each having ongoing rivalries to varying extents with the organization. The Panthers and Bolts are in the same Atlantic Division and the Avs are, well, the Quebec Nordiques of yore.
Related: Top 5 Current Montreal Canadiens Rivalries
There should be little dismissing the victories overall, to be clear. The win over the Golden Knights was especially impressive taking a wide variety of factors into account:
- It was on the road.
- The Canadiens came back from two goals down, trailing by one after two periods.
- They had rebounded from a previous, decisive loss earlier in the season (Nov. 23).
- The Golden Knights represent the best team in the Western Conference currently.
In fact, the Golden Knights lead the league with 59 to the Capitals’ 58 points. However, seeing as the Canadiens are in the same conference as the Capitals, having already faced (and lost to) them twice, compared to a single previous defeat at the hands of Vegas, there’s simply more at stake here. The Caps also have a bigger goal differential as the second-highest-scoring team in the league and are pound for pound more effective on special teams. According to various metrics, they’re also more effective at driving possession… so objectively a very strong team.
Playoffs Not Guaranteed but Suddenly Possible
To be clear, even though the Canadiens must approach every outing as a must-win situation at this point, a playoff spot doesn’t necessarily hinge on this one game. The goalie to which head coach Martin St. Louis will defer is still very much up in the air, as it’s the first half of a set of back-to-back games (while the similarly surging Dallas Stars visit the Bell Centre on Saturday). Logic dictates starter Sam Montembeault takes the first game against the Caps. However, based on how St. Louis has previously deployed him and backup Jakub Dobes, with reports suggesting Dobes will get the start tonight, who knows?
*shrug emoji*
Make no mistake, though. The Capitals are the more significant opponents regardless, even if it will be on a Friday with less sets of eyes watching. And a win will go a long way towards establishing the Canadiens as a team on the rise. Ultimately, the way they’ve been playing recently, the Caps only serve as a test in the same way you need to pass a driving exam after moving to a new country. You already know you can. It’s about proving it to the rest of the world, so that you can move past the red tape and get to where you need to go. While the playoffs aren’t guaranteed, it’s becoming increasingly clear that should be the end game, regardless of what general manager Kent Hughes suggested about plans staying the same at his mid-season media availability.
"We wanted to be 'in the mix' in terms of getting to the point we want to get there, players need to experience things. We want players to be under the pressure to win the games they need to win. Whether they succeed or not, the process is the important part." – Kent Hughes
— Jared Book (@jaredbook) January 8, 2025
In that way, a win would more so be further confirmation that these Canadiens aren’t the same team the Capitals beat twice earlier this season. The Habs have proven themselves capable of beating a team of this calibre, consistently, over the last little while. Now 19-18-3, they’re no longer the same team trying to get back to .500 back on Halloween. They’re clearly looking to stay above the mark, if for no other reason than doing so represents further improvement, which is to be expected based on how they’ve been playing.
Ultimately, this is a David and Goliath matchup, because the Habs can come out on top. They can make the playoffs, based on where they are now in the standings. Will they, though? As long as they play like they’ve been proven capable of, they will.
