MONTREAL -- Patrik Laine will not play for the Montreal Canadiens against the Washington Capitals in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference First Round at Bell Centre on Friday (7 p.m. ET; CBC, TVAS, SN, TNT, truTV, MNMT, MAX).
Laine, who did not participate in the Canadiens morning skate Friday, is day to day with an upper-body injury.
Washington leads the best-of-7 series 2-0.
"I know he wasn't on the ice this morning," Montreal coach Martin St. Louis said in French. "We have a few guys fighting with a few things, so I think you're going to see a few more players in the warmup tonight. We'll make some decisions before the game."
Laine was benched during the third period of Game 2, a 3-1 Washington win. He finished with one shot on goal in 10:10 of ice time. He also had an assist and was minus-2 in 13:14 of ice time in Game 1, a 2-1 overtime victory for Washington.
With Laine out, forward Oliver Kapanen is the most likely candidate to replace him in Montreal's lineup.
For Washington, Aliaksei Protas was considered a possibility to return for the first time since sustaining a skate cut to his left foot April 4.
"He's a possibility for tonight," Washington coach Spencer Carbery said.
However, Protas stayed on the ice for some extra work after the morning skate, which usually is an indication that a player won't play. He was then not on the ice for warmups prior to the game.
"'Pro' has had a phenomenal season and he's a big part of our team," Carbery said. "So, you weigh those scenarios, but the second 'Pro,' if and when he's ready to play, if it's tonight, he'll go into the lineup."
Game 3 will be the Canadiens first home game in the Stanley Cup Playoffs in a sold-out Bell Centre since April 20, 2017.
They last played home playoff games in 2021, when they reached the Stanley Cup Final, but provincial COVID-19 restrictions limited the attendance to 3,500. The Canadiens missed the playoffs in 2018 and 2019, and their postseason games in 2020 were played in Toronto.
The only Canadiens player remaining from the 2017 team is forward Brendan Gallagher.
"I'm excited for these guys," Gallagher said of his teammates. "They worked hard all season for this opportunity so I'm excited for them to experience that tonight. There's going to be a certain level of emotion and passion that only Montrealers can bring."
The Canadiens need to use the expected raucous atmosphere to their advantage. They lost both games in Washington, putting them into some tough company.
The team that wins the first two games of a best-of-7 series has gone on to win that series 86.3 percent of the time (353-56). It's 88.7 percent (266-34), when the team that started the series at home takes a 2-0 lead into Game 3.
"We're excited as a group," Gallagher said. "The fans are excited. I'm sure that they're anticipating a hard start from us as well. It's about maintaining that. You still can't waste energy and go out of your way, but use the crowd for sure. Get them involved. Make it as tough as possible, as we can. It's a tough place to come in to and win. This crowd is something special. We've got to do our job to get them involved in the game, use them the best we can, but at the same time be smart enough to manage our energy and our emotions. Keep them in check."
Here is a breakdown of Game 3:
Capitals: Washington will be looking to finish stronger than it has so far in the series, Alex Ovechkin's overtime goal in Game 1 notwithstanding. The Capitals have a 50-33 edge in shots on goal and 73-56 in total shot attempts during the first two periods; they've been outshot by a combined 28-12 and Montreal has a 69-32 advantage in total shot attempts during the third period. Connor McMichael's empty-net goal in Game 2 is Washington's only goal in the third period. Montreal scored twice in the third period of Game 1 to force overtime. Capitals forward Dylan Strome said leading going into the third period is a good spot to be in, but momentum has spiraled on them in the third as they've become a little too passive.
Canadiens: The start will be key for the Canadiens, who haven't scored a goal in the first period during the series. They have been the dominant team during the third, including outshooting Washington 14-5 during the final 20 minutes of Game 2. They're hoping to build on that and use the expected rollicking atmosphere inside the building to propel them to a strong first period. St. Louis said he felt the Canadiens started Game 2 well, but they couldn't carry the momentum long enough to make it matter. He said they have to find a way to keep it longer, especially at the start of Game 3.
Number to know: 2. Alex Ovechkin has not gone consecutive games without a goal since March 11-13. Ovechkin scored in overtime in Game 1 but didn't score on two shots on goal during Game 2. Ovechkin has scored three goals in three playoff games at Bell Centre, all in 2010.
What to look for: How each team responds to what will be one of the best atmospheres at the start of a game that they ever will be a part of. There's zero doubt here that the building will be rocking when the puck drops with a full pregame show planned. Fans have been asked to be in their seats by 6:50 p.m. ET to take in the pregame show. The key for the teams will be to keep their composure when the puck drops. "You get juiced up, you get jacked up … you have to feed off of it energy-wise, but you've still got to be calm to be able to pull the trigger," St. Louis said. Carbery said he doesn't think the Capitals can benefit from the atmosphere in the building, but he's banking on their experience carrying them through.
