Canadiens Vs. Capitals Game Time, TV Schedule And More

WASHINGTON, DC - DECEMBER 20: Nicklas Backstrom #19 of the Washington Capitals celebrates with his teammates after scoring a game against the Nashville Predators during the first period at Verizon Center on December 20, 2011 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty Images)

With Nicklas Backstrom's status for the game up in the air, the Capitals will look to move into sole possession of the final Eastern Conference playoff spot if they can beat the Montreal Canadiens at home.

The Washington Capitals are set to take on the Montreal Canadiens at home on Saturday evening and will be looking to string together back-to-back wins after struggling through the last week of play. It's an important game for the Caps that they will need to win, as their playoff hopes are still very uncertain. A win can't hurt their playoff chances, but a loss could be very damaging to their playoff hopes. Before the Caps 3-2 shoot out win over the Bruins, they had lost three of their last four games.

The Canadiens on the other hand are on a three-game losing streak and have lost six of their last seven games. If the Capitals can pick up a win over struggling Montreal, the Caps can move into sole possession of the final Eastern Conference playoff spot and pull within two points of the Florida Panthers, who sit in first place. The Caps haven't lost to Montreal in the regular season since 2009, but were knocked out of the 2010 playoffs by the Canadiens.

Game Time: Saturday, 7 p.m. ET, March 31, 2012

Location: Verizon Center, Washington, District of Columbia

TV: Comcast SportsNet, CBC

For more on the Washington Capitals, visit SB Nation's Capitals blog Japers' Rink. For more on the Montreal Canadiens visit SB Nation's Canadiens blog Habs Eye On The Prize. For more on the NHL in general visit SB Nation's dedicated NHL hub.