(My Sportsbook) - The Washington Capitals will try to rebound from their first loss in nearly three weeks when they visit the Montreal Canadiens for tonight's showdown at Bell Centre.

The Capitals had won a season-high seven straight games before getting shut out by visiting Columbus on Friday night. It was Washington's first setback since getting handed a 7-1 loss in Philadelphia on December 20.

Washington also had a nine-game home winning streak halted, losing its first game in D.C. since a 5-2 defeat at the hands of Florida on December 2. The Caps have just two regulation losses at home this year as they have an 18-2-1 record at Verizon Center.

Still, the Caps, who currently boast a healthy 10-point lead atop the Southeast Division, have still posted victories in 12 of their last 14 games.

Washington was handed a 3-0 loss by Columbus on Friday as rookie goaltender Steve Mason stopped 45 shots for his league-leading sixth shutout of the season.

Jose Theodore gave up three goals on 23 shots for the Capitals.

The Caps are playing five of their next seven games on the road, beginning with tonight's contest. Washington is just 9-10-2 as the visiting club this year, but has won two straight and four of its last five road tilts.

The Canadiens, meanwhile, will be trying for their longest winning streak in nearly three months when they take the ice tonight.

Montreal has won three in a row and hasn't recorded four straight victories since a season-high five-game winning streak from October 11-20. In addition to winning three consecutive games, the Habs have also come out on top in six of their last seven and have an 8-1-1 record over their last 10 outings.

The Canadiens offense has been superb during the three-game streak, as the club has registered six goals in each of those contests.

The team's latest triumph came Thursday night against the rival Toronto Maple Leafs. Andrei Kostitsyn had a goal and two assists, as the Habs used a balanced scoring attack to rout the visiting Leafs, 6-2, at Bell Centre.

Sergei Kostitsyn, Maxim Lapierre, Guillaume Latendresse and Alex Kovalev also scored for Montreal. Patrice Brisebois tallied three assists, while Jaroslav Halak made 30 saves in the win.

Halak has started the last four games for Montreal while No. 1 goaltender Carey Price recovers from a lower-body injury. Price is close to returning, but Halak is expected to get his fifth straight start tonight.

The Habs are 13-4-4 as the host this season and have won two straight and four of their last five at Bell Centre.

Washington is 2-0 against the Canadiens this season and has won three straight and four of the last five encounters in this series. The Caps have posted victories in two of their last three trips to Montreal, but the Habs have taken four of the last six meetings on their home ice.