Montreal Canadiens (40-31-11, in the Atlantic Division) vs. Washington Capitals (51-22-9, in the Metropolitan Division)
Washington; Wednesday, 7 p.m. EDT
BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Capitals -197, Canadiens +163; over/under is 5.5
NHL PLAYOFFS FIRST ROUND: Capitals lead series 1-0
BOTTOM LINE: The Washington Capitals host the Montreal Canadiens in the first round of the NHL Playoffs with a 1-0 lead in the series. The teams meet Monday for the fifth time this season. The Capitals won the previous matchup 3-2 in overtime. Alexander Ovechkin scored two goals in the win.
Washington has a 27-9-6 record in home games and a 51-22-9 record overall. The Capitals have a 17-6-3 record in games their opponents commit more penalties.
Montreal is 40-31-11 overall and 17-19-6 in road games. The Canadiens have committed 322 total penalties (3.9 per game) to rank third in the league.
TOP PERFORMERS: Dylan Strome has scored 29 goals with 53 assists for the Capitals. John Carlson has five assists over the last 10 games.
Lane Hutson has six goals and 58 assists for the Canadiens. Nicholas Suzuki has eight goals and five assists over the past 10 games.
LAST 10 GAMES: Capitals: 5-5-0, averaging 2.4 goals, 3.8 assists, five penalties and 17.7 penalty minutes while giving up 3.8 goals per game.
Canadiens: 6-1-3, averaging 2.7 goals, 4.5 assists, 3.9 penalties and 9.2 penalty minutes while giving up two goals per game.
INJURIES: Capitals: None listed.
Canadiens: None listed.
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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
The Associated Press
