With a win against the Montreal Canadiens tonight, the Capitals can clinch the Metropolitan Division and home ice through the first two rounds of the playoffs. This is great news for Canes fans because it means the Caps have something to play for and will likely play at full power to get this win and potentially eliminate Montreal from playoff contention.
However, the Caps will be doing this without Michal Kempny, who is out 4-6 months after having surgery on a torn hamstring. Kempny averaged 19:11 of ice time per game in the playoffs last year which was sixth highest on the team.