Capitals: Top 3 impact players to watch against Canadiens

WASHINGTON, DC - JANUARY 29: Alex Ovechkin #8 of the Washington Capitals wears Kobe Bryant’s number 24 on his jersey as he warm ups before playing against the Nashville Predators at Capital One Arena on January 29, 2020 in Washington, DC. Ovechkin wore the number 24 to honor former NBA player Kobe Bryant, who was killed in a helicopter crash on January 26. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images) /

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WASHINGTON, DC – NOVEMBER 15: Evgeny Kuznetsov #92 of the Washington Capitals celebrates his goal against the Montreal Canadiens during the third period at Capital One Arena on November 15, 2019 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images) /

The Washington Capitals return home to take on the Montreal Canadiens tonight. Let’s take a deep dive into the matchup.

The Washington Capitals (37-17-5, 79 points) look to bounce back to both a home ice defeat to the Montreal Canadiens and a two-game slide on their west coast road trip out in the desert.

Two tough losses to the Arizona Coyotes and the Vegas Golden Knights sink the Capitals out of first place in the Metropolitan Division. Now the Pittsburgh Penguins have leapfrogged them into first place making Sunday’s matchup and the race to the finish all the more bigger.

The Capitals are 16-9-4 on home ice this season but have only won one of their past five home games. That included three of four defeats on their four-game homestand in early February and although they had an impressive comeback over the Los Angles Kings, that was a game they almost dropped had it not been for Alex Ovechkin’s heroics.

After their loss to the Vegas Golden Knights, the Capitals acquired defensemen Brenden Dillon from the San Jose Sharks to help strengthen a defense that’s been struggling.

There’s a plethora of players to keep an eye on in tonight’s game. Here’s our top 3.

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