Montreal Canadiens: Two Games To Circle On The Calender For October

The Montreal Canadiens schedule has been available to the public for some time, but with training camp a few weeks away, we will soon get a glimpse of what the Habs opening night lineup could resemble. And with that, we can dive into the potential matchups in store for the rebuilding Habs this season. Every game is worth watching, but some games just have a little more zest to them, be it because of a rivalry, an intriguing player or even a first-overall pick being in the lineup.

October will be the start of the schedule, so for this exercise, we will take a look at two matchups during the first month of the 2023-24 season that will have an added layer of interest.

Home Opener

If you clicked on this article expecting to read about the Montreal Canadiens home opener, you would have made a safe bet. The Bell Centre does it like nobody else, and there is sure to be a great celebration, with the legendary voice of the Canadiens Michel Lacroix narrating everything. But the Habs home opener has another reason for excitement, with the Chicago Blackhawks in town on October 14, with 2023 first overall selection, Connor Bedard.

The Hawks aren’t expected to be very good, but Bedard is must-watch hockey, and his supporting cast of Seth Jones, Corey Perry, Taylor Hall and Lukas Reichel will make for a fun game to watch. Kaiden Guhle will likely be tasked with Bedard, if not Matheson, which will make for a great matchup to watch. Perry will also rattle the Habs’, so the physical play will make its way into this game with no doubt.

Slafkovksy will be healthy, and the last two number-one picks will face off for the first time. Suzuki will go head-to-head with Bedard. Arber Xhekaj and Josh Anderson will see plenty of Perry.

October 23 In Buffalo

The Buffalo Sabres are a great example of a rebuild going right, they have great depth and some young talent very close to wrestling for a spot with the Sabres. Tage Thompson has emerged as an elite number-one centre, Rasmus Dahlin and Owen Power are two pillars for the Sabre’s defence, and Devon Levi has number-one goaltender written all over him.

Alex Tuch and Peyton Krebs are two other players who will help Thompson on offence. This matchup will put the entire Habs roster to the test, and these battles will be a great measuring stick early on in the season. This game will mark the first of four matchups against the Sabres.

With a healthy roster and some strong prospects on both sides, these two teams will make for entertaining opponents this season and beyond. Hutson, Reinbacher and Mailloux will join this battle, and the Sabres have Zach Benson, Jiri Kulich and Matthew Savoie. This game could kickstart a divisional rivalry.

Every game will be enjoyable to watch, and there are many more exciting matchups on the horizon, but the first month will provide a great time for the Canadiens to build some momentum.