measure of where they stand in this early season when they host the Stanley Cup champion Washington Capitals at Bell Centre on Thursday.The Canadiens Womens Connor Hellebuyck Jersey , who finished 14th in the Eastern Conference last season, are 6-3-2, but are coming off one of their poorest performances of the season, a 4-1 loss to the Dallas Stars on home ice Tuesday. It was the Stars’ first road win of the season.This will be the second of a three-game homestand for the Canadiens, which concludes Saturday when they host the Tampa Bay Lightning. The Canadiens are in the first wild-card position in the Eastern Conference.Article continues below ...Canadiens coach Claude Julien wasn’t sure Wednesday who would be available to face the Capitals. Top forwards Brendan Gallagher and Paul Byron did not practice Wednesday. Gallagher is expected to play while Byron’s (lower body) status is uncertain.If Byron cannot play, forward Andrew Shaw, who has battled a series of injuries (concussion and knee) and has been a healthy scratch for the past two games, could be back in the lineup.“It’s really hard. My game isn’t at the level it should be,” Shaw told the team’s website. “I missed a lot of games. With the speed of games night after night, I have to be at my best … I’ll be ready when the team needs me.”Julien was preaching patience with Shaw, who is at his best when he plays an energy game and agitates the opposition.“We had a conversation and we were honest. He listened and he understood. At the end of the day, it isn’t his fault or mine Dmitry Kulikov Jersey ,” Julien told reporters at his daily briefing. “We have to work together to get him back playing his best hockey. He had a lot of major injuries, so he has to get back on track.“When Shaw is at his best, he brings a lot to the table. He can play on the top lines, on the power play and on the penalty kill. He can also be an energy player on the fourth line. He can bring a little bit of everything.”Julien also juggled his lines after the loss to the Capitals with an interesting all-Finns line of Artturi Lehkonen, rookie Jesperi Kotkaniemi and Joel Armian skating together in practice.Carey Price will start in goal for the Canadiens and will face Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin, who is showing no signs of a Stanley Cup hangover. Ovechkin leads the Capitals with eight goals, three off the league lead held by Patrick Kane of the Chicago Blackhawks and David Pastrnak of the Boston Bruins.The Canadiens have been one of Ovechkin’s favorite teams to play against over the years. He had 49 points (27 goals and 22 assists) in 46 games against the Canadiens. Ovechkin seems to light up when he plays in the electric atmosphere at Bell Centre.Capitals rookie coach Todd Reirden said Ovechkin has become a more well-rounded player.“I’ve liked how his overall game has been good and consistent, and I’ve liked how his first 10 games have been compared to last year’s 10 games,” Reirden told NHL.com. “Maybe he had a few more goals initially, obviously, with the hat tricks and stuff like that, but his overall game for me is better.”Ovechkin started last season with seven goals in two games — three against the Ottawa Senators and four against the Canadiens.Ovechkin modified his offseason workouts Youth Dustin Byfuglien Jersey , taking more time off between sessions last summer.“Mentally, I feel better,” he told NHL.com. “But physically, it’s hard to say because last year we had a different schedule. Last year, almost every second day we had a game. and this year as soon as you get in a rhythm then you have days off. But right now, almost every second day we’re going to have a game, so it’s going to be fun.”The Capitals (5-3-2, fourth in the Metropolitan Division) will finish a four-game road trip against the Canadiens. They are 2-1-0 so far on the trip across Canada.Capitals defenseman Brooks Orik will miss the game against the Canadiens after sustaining a lower body injury against the Calgary Flames on Saturday. The Capitals called up Aaron Ness from their Hershey farm team in the AHL. ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Jason Zucker is squarely among the skaters Minnesota needs more production from over the second half of the schedule to return to the playoffs, a responsibility that’s not lost on him or anyone else on the Wild.After a morning meeting of reassurance from coach Bruce Boudreau, lo and behold, Zucker responded with two goals.Zucker gave the lagging power play a lift with his first score and added another just after leaving the penalty box http://www.officialhockeyjetsshop.com/a … uba-jersey , both in the second period, and the Wild hung on to beat the Winnipeg Jets 3-2 on Thursday night.“I hate watching you come off the ice looking so down all the time,” Boudreau told Zucker in their conversation. “So it’s time you had a chance to have some fun.”Zucker, who was second on the Wild last season with a career-high 33 goals, scored only once over his previous 14 games.“I’ve got to do it consistently now. I can’t be happy with just one game and a couple goals and shut it back down,” said Zucker, who’s tied with Mikael Granlund for third on the team with 12 goals.Jordan Greenway also scored and Devan Dubnyk made 26 saves for the Wild, who have won all three games against the Jets so far this season by a combined 10-5 score after losing to their Central Division rival in five games in the first round of the playoffs last spring.“There’s certainly a good possibility of matching up come playoff time if we get there,” Dubnyk said, “and as much as the regular season doesn’t matter, well, we need these points right now Austin Czarnik Jersey Womens , and it’s always good to have a winning feeling in both arenas.”The Wild blocked 22 shots and won 36 of 55 faceoffs.“Guys are playing well now,” Greenway said, “and not cheating for offense.”Brandon Tanev gave the Jets some life with his goal in the final minute of the second period, cutting the lead to 3-1. Then, with Connor Hellebuyck having already vacated the net, Mark Scheifele scored with 2:38 remaining in the game to bring the Jets within one. The Wild went without a shot on goal in the third, the first time in franchise history that happened to them at home in any period.“You allow them to take the lead, it just plays right into their game,” Jets captain Blake Wheeler said.The Jets managed just one shot on goal over the first 15-plus minutes of the game, and the Wild actually had a lead to match the effort after Eric Staal fed Greenway from behind the net . This was only the 15th time in 43 games the Wild have scored first. They’re 9-5-1 in those instances.The Wild had only one power-play goal in their previous 23 opportunities, all without defenseman Matt Dumba, who’s still second among NHL blue-liners this season with 12 goals and ruptured the pectoralis muscle near his right shoulder on Dec. 15.Midway through the second period Josh Morrissey Jersey , with a man advantage for the Wild, a turnover led to a short-handed breakaway for the Jets and a snap shot by Adam Lowry that caromed off the left post. The Wild quickly regrouped after the fortunate bounce and went back the other way for Zucker’s score in the waning seconds of Kyle Connor’s tripping penalty.A few minutes later, as he hustled back and forth at the point of the penalty kill and fearlessly blocked shots with his body, Zach Parise snagged the puck at the end of a Jets power play and flipped a lob pass up the ice for a wide-open Zucker who managed to stay onside after he returned to the ice from his hooking penalty. Zucker beat Hellebuyck in the upper-left corner at the end of the breakaway for a 3-0 lead.“We got to our game in the third period and made things a lot difficult for them in their own zone and challenging pucks to the net,” Tanev said. “I think we need to get to that game right away.”NOTESThe Wild won at home for the first time in five tries since Dec. 13. … The Jets were scoreless in four power plays. The Wild have killed 15 of their last 16 penalties at home. … Scheifele tied Patrik Laine for the team lead with his 24th goal. … Wild center Eric Fehr missed his second straight game with an undisclosed injury. … Wild defenseman Spurgeon had two assists, his third multi-point performance in five games this month. … Jets defenseman Tyler Myers left in the third period with an undisclosed injury.UP NEXTJets: Return home to face the Detroit Red Wings on Friday night.Wild: Host the Red Wings on Saturday night.