CAPITALS AT CANADIENS

Five things you should know about Thursday’s HabsCapitals game at the Bell Centre (7:30 p.m., TSN2, RDS, TSN 690 Radio),

1 The matchup

This is yet another bounceback game for the Canadiens, who are coming off a 4-1 home loss to the Dallas Stars Tuesday. The team has embraced the mantra that good teams don’t lose two in a row and they have followed their first four losses this season with victories while forging a 6-3-2 record. They will face a tough task against the defending Stanley Cup champions, who boast the No. 2 offence in the NHL. The Caps are producing 3.8 goals a game, but they are 5-3-2 because their defence is the seventh worst in the league (3.6 goals a game).

2 Hurry back, Paul

The good news, according to Canadiens head coach Claude Julien, is the lower-body injury Paul Byron sustained in Tuesday’s loss is not serious. The bad news is Byron is unlikely to face the Capitals and the Canadiens will miss his speed on the forecheck and penalty kill. Andrew Shaw will take Byron’s place in the lineup and Julien will be juggling his lines. The most significant line might be the Finnish Connection with Jesperi Kotkaniemi playing between Artturi Lehkonen and Joel Armia. Julien wants Armia and Lehkonen to supply some goals.

3 Special teams need to be better Canadiens penalty killers gave up another goal in Tuesday’s loss and one goal came seconds after a penalty expired. Montreal ranks No. 18 in penalty killing. Brendan Gallagher suggested the Canadiens might have been undisciplined against Dallas and they can’t afford to make that mistake against the Capitals, who have the most productive power play in the NHL at 37.1 per cent efficiency. The Canadiens also gave up a short-handed goal and came up empty on four power plays.

4 The goalies

The goaltending matchup features two Vézina Trophy winners, although one has been struggling and we’re happy to report it’s not Carey Price. Braden Holtby, the NHL’s top goalie in 2016, can thank the Washington offence for his 4-2-1 record because the rest of his numbers aren’t good. He has a 3.41 goals-against average and an .888 save percentage. Price has a 4-2-2 record with a 2.24 GAA and respectable .915 save percentage.

5 Ovechkin has Habs’ number

The Canadiens defence will be focused on stopping Alex Ovechkin, who has 27 goals and 22 assists in 45 games against Montreal. He’s the premier goalscorer in the NHL and has won the Richard Trophy seven times, including five times in the last six years. He has eight goals and six assists this season. Linemate Evgeny Kuznetsov is the team’s leading scorer with 15 points, including five goals. Former Canadiens Lars Eller and Devante Smith-Pelly are off to slow starts. Eller has a goal and four assists, while Smith-Pelly had a goal and an assist.