Habs: 15 things to watch out for this weekend!

The Canadiens will be in the US capital on Friday evening to take on the Capitals, the top-ranked team in the Eastern Association. Spencer Carbery’s team has compiled a 27-10-4 record in 41 outings this season.

The Finnish forward won’t be making the trip to Washington, missing his fourth consecutive duel due to a nasty virus. He skated Thursday morning, however, showing encouraging signs of a return to action.

With 30 points in 25 games, including 19 goals, Alex Ovechkin, despite his 39 years, is not slowing down. Number 8 is now just 23 goals away from breaking the great Wayne Gretzky’s record of 894 career goals.

Like Laine, the Québécois defenseman will miss a fourth straight game with an upper-body injury, even though he put on his skates in Brossard on Thursday.

Pierre-Luc Dubois has been on fire lately, scoring both of his team’s goals in a 2-1 win over Vancouver on Wednesday, including the overtime winner. The 26-year-old center has 33 points in 41 duels in 2024-2025.

On Thursday, Martin St-Louis confirmed that Jakub Dobes will start against the Capitals on Friday, following his impressive debuts against Florida and Colorado.

With Alex Ovechkin out for a few weeks, Tom Wilson and Aliaksei Protas took their game up a notch. Protas (6’6) is the Capitals’ second-highest scorer with 36 points, while Wilson (6’4) has racked up 32 in as many games as his young teammate. They’ll be ones to watch.

The American sniper leads the Habs in scoring with 22 goals, including 4 in his last 5 games. Here’s one who’s been giving more since Laine was sidelined.

To conclude their weekend of work, the Habs welcome the Dallas Stars, one of the NHL’s powerhouses. They may not be in the upper echelons of the standings, but let’s not forget the intense parity of the Central Division.

Samuel Montembeault should find himself in front of the Habs cage on Saturday night at the Bell Centre, given that Dobes will be playing on Friday.

Veteran Matt Duchene has picked a good time to enjoy one of the best campaigns of his career, as several other forwards are quieter, including Jason Robertson, Roope Hintz and Miro Heiskanen. Duchene leads the Texans’ points column with 38 in 39 games.

The young Montreal D is really blossoming. Since the arrival of Alexandre Carrier, he has stabilized his game, having had a strong one against the Vancouver Canucks last Monday. Number 21 was all over the ice.

Considering that his assistant Casey DeSmith played against the Philadelphia Flyers on Thursday night, expect to see Stars starter Oettinger at the Bell Centre on Saturday, barring a surprise.

Kirby Dach was probably the habs’ most criticized individual in the first half of the season, struggling to find his feet offensively. In recent games, however, he has regained his confidence, finding the back of the net on a few occasions. 77 is here, folks!

The Habs have won 8 of their last 10 games, and thanks to their recent performances, they’re back in the playoff picture. This is a first since 2019 in a normal context. Yes, they are indeed… in the mix!