Game 5 Caps vs. Canadiens 4-23-2010 Preview

Series A: Washington Capitals (57-29; 121 points; 1st Southeast Division, 1st Eastern Conference, 1st Overall) vs. Montreal Canadiens (40-46; 88 points; 4th Northeast Division, 8th Eastern Conference, 19th Overall):
Caps Playoff Game #5, Home Playoff Game #3, NHL Playoff Game #115

Verizon Center, Washington, D.C. 7:07 pm. Washington TV: Comcast SportsNet Mid-Atlantic. Radio: WJFK 106.7-FM. Montreal TV: None. Radio: CJAD 880-AM.  U.S. National TV: Versus.  Canadian National TV: TSN, RDS (French).

Tonight, the Caps look to close out their series with the Montreal Canadiens and confirm a date in the second round with the Philadelphia Flyers.  Game 5 has not been kind to the Capitals throughout the years.  The Caps are 8-18 in the pivotal game and 5-11 on home ice.  With a 3-1 lead and a chance to put an end to the series, the Caps are 2-6.

What The Natives Are Saying:

(Com)Post.  Examiner.  Caps.com.

Neutral Views:

NHL.com: Preview, 5 Keys. stuck in a fog.  AP Wire.


Open Source Intelligence:

Montreal Gazette:  nothing else to lose, staying home, not what they expected, put up or shut up.  Canadiens.com.

What Do We Expect Tonight?:

This current incarnation of the Capitals has a chance for the first time to eliminate a team before Game 7 rolls around.  And with we're brutally honest with ourselves, our performance in the three Game 7's for this bunch have been a little on the flat side.  But looking at the end other side of the coin here, Montreal has to be at their wit's end.  They've thrown everything that they can at the Caps and yet are still down 3-1.  We don't expect the Canadiens to lay down and die tonight (though it would be nice) because if they were going to, they would have done so in Game 4.  But should the Caps get rolling tonight and take a lead, it would be very advisable for the Caps to keep their heads up because Montreal could very well go the cheap-shot route knowing that there's nothing left for them to lose because in the last three games of this series they've lost their cool and have taken penalties that have put them further behind.  So is there anything to make us think that they won't do the same thing tonight facing elimination?  The biggest thing for the Caps tonight though is to demonstrate a killer instinct.  Teams that are on the brink find a way to stave off elimination and it is the mark of a good team to overcome that and put them away.  The Caps should know all about staving off elimination as they've done it seven times over the past three years.  However, just like Game 4, we think it is going to come down to the Caps being just too good for Montreal to get past.

Caps Nut Official Prediction:

Caps 4
Canadiens 3
Winner by Backstrom
(3-1 in the playoffs, 50-38 for the season with two perfect games)