Caps going Hollywood
What you should know about the Canadiens-Washington Capitals game at the Capital One Arena on Saturday night (7 p.m., (CITY, TVA Sports, TSN 690 Radio):
1 Things in common
Both teams finished first in their respective divisions last season. The Canadiens topped the Atlantic Division, but lost to the Rangers in the first round of the playoffs. The Capitals finished first in the Metropolitan Division before losing to Pittsburgh in Round 2. They both opened this season with shootout wins on the road Thursday. Montreal won 3-2 in Buffalo, while the Capitals were 5-4 winners in Ottawa.
2 Super scorers
This game will feature the top two goal scorers since the last lockout ended in 2013. Alex Ovechkin is the runaway leader with 222 goals and he has won the Rocket Richard Trophy four times. He slumped last season with 33 goals, but had a hat trick Thursday. Max Pacioretty is No. 2 with 157 goals and started on the right foot with a goal in Buffalo.
3 Weber faces a heavy workload
Shea Weber took a well-deserved day off Friday. Weber was on the ice for 29:30 during Thursday’s shootout win over the Sabres. Weber was paired with Victor Mete, but the rookie played only 18:43 as he was spared penalty-killing duties. Weber led the Canadiens with seven hits and no other Canadien had more than two.
4 Homecoming for Alzner
Karl Alzner will get a chance to see some old friends. Alzner, 29, played nine seasons for the Capitals before signing as a free agent with the Canadiens on July 1. His poke check in the defensive zone earned him an assist on Philip Danault’s short-handed, game-tying goal in the third period Thursday. The Capitals’ lineup includes two former Canadiens forwards — Lars Eller and Devante Smith-Pelly.
5 Another opening, another show
One of the drawbacks of starting the season on the road is the prospect of playing in another team’s home opener. The Sabres’ opener on Thursday was low key, but Capitals owner Ted Leonsis is going Hollywood. The players will arrive at the Capital One Arena in cars supplied by team sponsor Lexus and will enter the building on a red carpet.