CAPITALS AT CANADIENS

Here are five things you should know about the Habs-Caps game at the Bell Centre on Saturday (7 p.m., SN, TVA Sports, TSN 690 Radio), by Pat Hickey.

1

Finding a meaning

This is an important game for the Capitals and that’s good news for fans who hope to see the Canadiens tumble a bit farther in the standings. The Capitals are in first place in the Metropolitan Division and they want to stay there to ensure themselves of home-ice advantage in the first round of the playoffs.

2

Ovie’s the draw

The Canadiens will announce their usual sellout crowd for this game but the presence of Alexander Ovechkin should provide fans with a reason to actually attend the game, rather than trying to give their tickets away to folks who don’t want them. Ovechkin has been the leading goal scorer in the NHL for most of the past decade and he leads the league with 44 goals, one more than Winnipeg ’s Patrik Laine.

3

Will Gallagher hit 30? The Canadiens have had a 30-goal scorer in each of the four seasons since the lockout, with Max Pacioretty hitting the mark four times and Alex Galchenyuk doing it once. The only Montreal player with a shot this season is Brendan Gallagher, who went into last night’s game in Buffalo with 26 goals.

4

No Vézina matchup

We might have had a matchup of former Vézina Trophy winners, with Carey Price facing Braden Holtby, but the Washington goalie is out with a minor foot injury. The Capitals’ starter will be Philipp Grubauer, who is coming off a 39-save, 1-0 shutout of the Detroit Red Wings Thursday. Grubauer is having a good season with a 2.29 goals-against average and a .926 save percentage.

5

Familiar faces

Danish forward Lars Eller, who moved around a lot when he was with the Canadiens, has found a home as the third-line centre in Washington. He’s having a career season with 17 goals and 37 points. Another former Canadien who has found regular employment with the Caps is forward Devante Smith-Pelly, who has seven goals and nine assists in 69 games.