Capitals Get Extra Work on Extra Man

ARLINGTON, Va. -- The extra day off brought extra work for the Washington Capitals' power play, not that their coach was certain if the 30 minutes focused on special teams solved anything.

"I don't know," Caps coach Bruce Boudreau told reporters after practice Sunday. "We will find out tomorrow. It's like everything else. You constantly practice and hope to get better at it. We'll see how it goes."

The Capitals have scored one goal in 24 power play opportunities (4.2 percent) against the Montreal Canadiens, the third-lowest percentage among the 16 playoffs teams.

"We are well aware of the stats," Caps defenseman Mike Green said. "We are not happy with it, but it's something that we've been good at all year. We were the No. 1 power play (in the regular season). We know how to do it."

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The Canadiens, who enter Monday's game trailing 3-2 in the best-of-seven series, have used their speed -- more than the brawn -- to stifle the Caps in man-advantage situations.

"They are fast," Green said. "When we get an opportunity to shoot, they are already in the shot lane. Maybe on other teams, there are bigger guys who are a little slower and we can create shots. They have quick guys with good sticks and they are skilled."

In Game 5 on Friday, goalie Jaroslav Halak was the Habs' top penalty killer. Eleven of his 37 saves in the 2-1 Canadiens victory came with the Caps on the power play.

If his time on the power play in practice was any indication, Eric Belanger could see some time when the Caps get an extra-man opportunity on Monday -- if he's even in the lineup. Belanger had several teeth knocked out in Game 5.

"Every day that goes by, his mouth is feeling a little bit better and he's able to eat more food," Boudreau said. "He skated well today. The question we all have is his energy. Is he going to have enough to go tomorrow or will it be a couple more days? That will be a game-time decision."