Puck 'N Hockey

After a huge overtime win against the Blackhawks on Sunday, the Caps head out for a massive six game road trip. This trip is vital to their quest for the top seed in the East and to maintain the divisional lead they have over Tampa. Both Southeast teams have only 12 games remaining with Tampa behind by three points. Tampa hasn’t helped their own cause too much, going 4-4-2 in their last ten. The Caps have been rockin’ red hot, winning eight straight and only losing one in their last ten games. At this time last year, the Caps not only had the Southeast division wrapped up but the Conference as well. This time around they appear to be hitting their stride at the right time. All the lines are doing their job from scoring to checking. The defense and the goaltending has been solid. Out of the five teams the Caps play against on this road trip, four are either in the playoffs or fighting for a spot. Let’s see how the team responds to this challenge.

Tuesday at the Bell Centre: Montreal Canadiens GP 69 W 38 L 24 OTL 7 PTS 83 LAST 10(7-3-0)

Last Game Tuesday February 1st, 2011 3-2 Shootout Victory for the Habs

Three Star Selections:

1st Brian Gionta

2nd Mathieu Perreault

3rd James Wisniewski

Winning Goalie: Carey Price

Losing Goalie: Semyon Varlamov

MJ90 has a chance to step up with Backstrom and Arnott ailing. (via Joel Auerbach/Getty Images North America)

Match Up: The Habs are the team in the Eastern Conference everyone seems to hate. They knocked out arguably the two best teams in last year’s playoffs and have a very angry Flyers team always gunning for them. Even though there has been change in the Habs organization, in terms of players, they have still been a very consistent team this year. One thing that has helped is the atmosphere at Bell Centre where they have posted a 21-8-6 record. The Habs’stingy defense doesn’t hurt either.  A big reason for the defensive success, besides the commitment of the Habs players, has been Carey Price. Carey is in the top five, of the four top goalie stats (save percentage, goals against, wins and shutouts).

X Factor: Top line centers have been something the Caps seem to have an abundance of. Sadly, that’s on the injured reserve list as Jason Arnott and Nicklas Backstrom are recovering from injuries. Marcus Johansson has a perfect opportunity to seize not only more ice time but an even bigger role with the playoffs looming. He likely will be playing on the first or second line. Having more talented line mates will not only give him more points but more chances to grow and mature as a pivot in the Caps system.