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Capitals-Canadiens Preview

Feb 9, 2010 - 8:28 PM By SANTOSH VENKATARAMAN STATS Senior Writer

Washington (41-12-6) at Montreal (28-26-6), 7:30 p.m. EDT

Alex Ovechkin and the league-leading Washington Capitals face a tough three-game road trip as they try to match the longest win streak in NHL history.

Ovechkin and the Capitals look to extend their franchise-record win streak to 15 games Wednesday night against the Montreal Canadiens, who will play their first game since the unexpected departure of general manager Bob Gainey.

Washington (41-12-6) is beginning its longest road stretch during this win streak. The Capitals have the third-longest win streak in NHL history and can match the Islanders' 15-game run set in the 1981-82 season.

Pittsburgh set the league record with 17 wins in a row March 9-April 10, 1993.

Ovechkin has been the catalyst with 30 of his league-leading 86 points in the past 14 games. He has 16 points in a seven-game streak after his spectacular hat trick rallied the Capitals from a three-goal deficit to a 5-4 overtime win over the Penguins on Sunday.

"It's always nice to score goals, especially in this type of big game," Ovechkin said. "They are going to play hard against us."

Often overshadowed by Ovechkin, linemate Nicklas Backstrom is also enjoying a stellar season. Backstrom is among the league leaders with 73 points, tallying four goals and 13 assists during an eight-game point streak.

Ovechkin has three goals and five assists in nine career games at the Bell Centre, where the Canadiens (28-26-6) are still sorting out the ramifications from Monday's big news. Gainey resigned and handed the reins to assistant Pierre Gauthier.

Gainey starred for the Canadiens from 1973-89 and the Hall of Famer rejoined the team as GM after the 2002-2003 season. Montreal made the playoffs four out of five seasons during his tenure, but the Canadiens haven't advanced beyond the second round of the playoffs since winning their 24th Stanley Cup in 1993.

"I look forward to assisting Pierre and the team in our pursuit of our 25th Stanley Cup," said Gainey, who will remain as a special advisor to Gauthier. "I'm leaving the team I love most in the hands of the man I trust most."

A Montreal native, Gauthier was Anaheim's GM from 1998-2002. Before that, he served in the same capacity with Ottawa from 1995-98.

"It's a great honor to be named general manager of the Montreal Canadiens," Gauthier said. "I've always thought that working in the National Hockey League is an honor. Working as a general manager is also a great honor. But working for the Montreal Canadiens as a general manager is the greatest honor."

The Canadiens have not played since splitting two home games over the weekend. Brian Gionta scored twice in a 5-3 win over Pittsburgh on Saturday before the club's three-game win streak ended the next day with a 3-0 loss to Boston.

Montreal will face a red-hot goalie in former Canadien Jose Theodore, who has won a personal-best 10 straight games to match Pat Riggin's franchise record. Theodore made 31 saves Sunday, and has a 2.48 goals-against average during his run.

"A sign of a good goaltender to me is when it's tied at the end or you're up by a goal and somebody can preserve that one-goal lead or preserve it so it gives you an opportunity to win it," coach Bruce Boudreau said. "And he did."

Washington has won two of three from Montreal this season behind four goals from Eric Fehr, who ended his seven-game goal drought Sunday.