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Habs hope to find missing offense in clash with Caps

Mar 26, 2011 - 3:12 PM (Sports Network) - The Montreal Canadiens were unable to close the gap in the Northeast Division race. Now they have to worry about holding onto a playoff spot.

Coming off consecutive shutout losses, the Canadiens try to get on track this evening versus the Southeast Division-leading Washington Capitals at the Bell Centre.

Montreal enters play tonight with 87 points, two more than the seventh-place New York Rangers in the Eastern Conference standings and four more than Buffalo, which sits in eighth place. Carolina is ninth with 80 points, but has a game in hand over the Habs.

Losses in five of their last eight games have not helped the Canadiens' cause and Thursday's 7-0 setback to the Bruins dropped them five points behind first-place Boston, which has two games in hand over Montreal.

The Bruins and Canadiens met for the first time since Boston defenseman Zdeno Chara's hit on Montreal's Max Pacioretty near the boards that left the forward with a concussion and spinal injury on March 8.

Carey Price stopped just 28 of the 33 shots he faced before being pulled in the third period for Alex Auld, who yielded a pair of goals. Montreal was coming off a 2-0 loss to Buffalo on Tuesday and head coach Jacques Martin said his team wasn't focused on revenge versus the Bruins.

"The response is you want to win the hockey game and battle with the Bruins when you are trailing them by three points," Martin said. "I wouldn't say [it was] a lack of emotion -- more a lack of execution."

Montreal is playing two straight at home and has just three home games left this season. The Habs are 22-10-6 as the host this year.

Price should get a chance to rebound tonight and is 3-3-3 with a 3.23 goals- against average in his career versus Washington.

The Capitals are also looking to rebound after falling in Ottawa, 2-0, last night. Semyon Varlamov gave up both goals on 23 shots in his first start since Feb. 20 as Washington lost for just the second time in 13 games.

"I don't know if we tested them enough," Caps head coach Bruce Boudreau said. "We had some grade-A chances to score. We probably had more chances then them."

The loss kept the Southeast Division-leading Caps two points back of the Flyers for first place in the Eastern Conference, but Philadelphia, which visits the Islanders tonight, has two games in hand. Washington is also seven points up on Tampa Bay in the division, with the Lightning having played one fewer game.

Varlamov had been out with a lower-body injury and wasn't expected to return until tonight, but Michal Neuvirth became ill on Friday and was unable to go. Varlamov could get the start again tonight and is 3-0-1 with a 1.45 GAA versus Montreal.

The Capitals, of course, remain without leading scorer Alex Ovechkin, who the club announced on Monday would miss 7-to-10 days due to an undisclosed injury. Both he and Jason Arnott (groin) could practice on Monday.

Washington is 3-2-0 on a six-game swing and has still won eight of its last 10 on the road.

Tonight marks the final regular-season meeting between these clubs, with the Caps going 2-0-1 in the three matchups this year and having won eight of the past 12 in this series overall.