With the Montreal Canadiens schedule being released, fans have been able to view potential matchups. Rivalry games against fellow Original Six teams, Canadian teams, and the two newest expansion teams always get a little extra attention when it comes to ticket sales. The home opener is the premier game of the season without question, but the intrigue doesn’t stop there.
The Canadiens’ schedule has them facing the Leafs on opening night. Their first Saturday night battle of the season comes against Connor Bedard and the Blackhawks, which is definitely one to pen into your calendar. Let’s dive into some marquee matchups.
Four Games Against The Bruins
The first of four meetings against their original six rival, the Boston Bruins comes on Sat, Nov. 11 at 7 pm at the Centre Bell.
These games all bring intrigue given the history between the two teams from the battles over the years. The Bruins might look a little different than they did last year, with Milan Lucic returning, among other additions. Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci’s future are still up in the air, and the team is in a weird place.
One thing is to be sure, this rivalry will grow much more in 2023-24. There are sure to be fireworks with two mammoth-handed tough guys who will battle each other, Arber Xhekaj and Lucic could blow the roof off the arena. David Pastrnak and Brad Marchand will give Cole Caufield, Nick Suzuki and co some tough battles.
The remaining games start off with another battle on the following Saturday, but this one will be at TD Garden in Boston. Bruins fans will get a taste of the rivalry, and certainly, both teams will feel the energy from the crowd. The final two meetings will come in 2024, the first of the two in January, and the final game will be in Montreal, and it may have playoff implications in the eastern conference.
October 26th versus Columbus
The Blue Jackets selected Hobey Baker-winning forward Adam Fantilli with the third overall selection in June’s draft. And, should he play in the NHL to start out of the gate, his first game against the Habs would come during the first month of the 2023 season. Thursday, Oct. 26 the Habs will host Patrik Laine, Johnny Gaudreau, Fantilli and the Blue Jackets.
The two teams will face each other two more times this season, the first coming in the final week of November in Ohio. While their final matchup will be on March, 11. 2024, which will be a great chance to see how Fantilli and the Habs youth have grown throughout the season.
Simon Nemec, And The Devils
If the Habs 2022 Slovakian Draft duo’s childhood friend, Simon Nemec cracks the Devils roster, it won’t be much of a wait for Slafkovsky and the Habs to play against him. The Devils loaded roster will roll into Montreal for a Tuesday night game, with puck drop at 7:15 p.m on October 24. Nemec is just one of the many young talented pieces in the Devils organization, which will test the Canadiens.
With Nemec taken into consideration, the Devils also have another stud young blueliner. The third Hughes brother and he has some elite skills from the back end. The pair will meet two more times during the regular season, and the young talent on both sides will be a treat to watch.
Tune in to the Canadiens’ schedule to view all the matchups that are set for the 2023-24 campaign.
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