WSH@MTL: Five things you need to know

MONTREAL - Here are five things you need to know ahead of Thursday night's game between the Canadiens and the Washington Capitals at the Videotron Centre.

1. Five Quebec-born players will have the opportunity to suit up in the provincial capital on Thursday night, including forwards Phillip Danault (Victoriaville), Charles Hudon (Alma), Michael Chaput (Ile-Bizard) and young gun Alexandre Alain (Quebec City), who will be making his preseason debut after signing a three-year entry-level contract in April. Defenseman Simon Despres (Laval) will also be in uniform, as will fellow blueliner Xavier Ouellet, who was born in France, but grew up in Terrebonne.
   2. Capitals stars Alex Ovechkin, Evgeny Kuznetsov and Tom Wilson will all be in action at the Videotron Centre. Defensemen Brooks Orpik and Michal Kempny will also play, while goaltenders Pheonix Copley and Vitek Vanecek will be making the trip to Quebec City as well.
   3. After being invited to training camp on a professional tryout, forward Joel Ward will make his preseason debut for the Habs on Thursday night. The 37-year-old right-winger will be going up against his former team, having played 276 games for Washington over the course of four seasons between 2011 and 2015. Ward is an 11-year NHL veteran with 133 goals and 304 points in 726 career appearances with Minnesota, Nashville, Washington and San Jose.
   4. Likewise, 22-year-old Swedish forward Lukas Vejdemo will get his first taste of preseason action after making the move to North America this season, as will Czech defensemen Michal Moravcik and David Sklenicka. Both rearguards are products of Plzen HC in the Czech League.
   5. Puck drop is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. The game will be broadcast on TV on TSN2 and RDS, as well as on the radio on TSN 690 and 98,5 fm. Tickets for the game in Quebec City are available
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