The 2023-24 season will begin soon enough, and with the NHL schedule release, fans of all 32 clubs will be scrambling to find games that will capture their attention. For fans of the Montreal Canadiens, there is a storyline to be found in all 82 games.
Related: Canadiens 3 Up & 3 Down: 2023 Offseason Edition
Expectations for the Canadiens are on the rise, and while there is not yet a realistic demand for the club to be a playoff team, there are some who hope it can be. Either way, because they are still in a rebuild, most fans are looking to be entertained, and these are five games that could bring top-tier entertainment value for the fans in order of the date.
1. Canadiens vs. Blackhawks – Oct. 14
As has been tradition lately, Montreal will play their first game of the season on the road, against the Toronto Maple Leafs, and while they are a traditional rival and that does hold some entertainment value, this game against the Chicago Blackhawks brings just a little more to the table. First, it’s the home opener, and that is always exciting. No team can quite match the mystique of a Habs pre-game ceremony. With it being the home opener, fans will be just a little more energetic as it’s the first time they have seen the team this season. Secondly, it’s an “Original Six” matchup, and those are always just a little more special.
Also, not only is it the home opener, but it will be the first NHL regular season game in Montreal featuring young phenom Connor Bedard. There was a period when the Habs had a legitimate opportunity to draft with the top pick, and fans were very excited by that idea. There has been a lot of hype about this 18-year-old forward, and when he arrives for this game, he will have played two other NHL games leading up to this one, which will likely only add to the excitement of watching him play. On top of that, it will mark his first meeting against Juraj Slafkovsky, the first overall pick from 2022, which will no doubt cause a heated stir on social media unfairly comparing the two.
2. Canadiens at Golden Knights – Oct. 30
This will mark the first game for the defending Stanley Cup champs to face off against the last club to beat them in the playoffs. In the COVID-19 shorted 2021 season, the Canadiens eliminated the Vegas Golden Knights to win the Clarence S. Campell Bowl, awarded to the Western Conference champion. The Habs head coach in that game was Dominique Ducharme, the only coach in 30 years to navigate the storied franchise to a Final series.
Now, two years later, Ducharme will be behind the bench of the very team he helped to eliminate. This game marks the first time he will face the Canadiens since he was fired as the coach in the 2022-23 season, barely six months after that Cinderella run to the Final. This game will be in Vegas, so while he will be looking to avenge his dismissal with a win, he will at least not have to worry about if he will be booed by Habs fans, at least not until his only visit of the season to Montreal on Nov. 16.
3. Canadiens at Lightning – Dec. 31
The traditional Christmas holiday road trip is nearly at an end by this point. And, this traditional New Year’s Eve game against the Tampa Bay Lightning is also the “unofficial” halfway mark of the season. This is usually where the team’s record indicates the likelihood of their chances at the playoffs.
There is always interest in games against the Lightning as a minor rivalry has been nurtured between the two clubs. The 2021 Stanley Cup Final, where they beat the Canadiens, still holds some sting for the fans. The fact that the Habs’ 2016 ninth-overall selection, Mikhail Sergachev, is now a star, top-pairing defenseman for that team adds some intrigue.
As mentioned above, the expectations are not for the Canadiens to be a playoff team, however, the hope is to see them within reach and playing competitive hockey. The team’s record after this game can give them a great benchmark to see if the Habs are meeting that expectation or not. It can also give the fans an idea as to whether the Canadiens will be buyers or sellers at the trade deadline.
4. Canadiens vs Kraken – Dec. 4
No one loves history more than the Canadiens, and Dec. 4 holds a special place in their history as it is their birthday. On this day, 114 years ago, in 1909, the franchise was born. Helping them to blow out those candles will be the NHL’s newest franchise, the Seattle Kraken. While that symbolism is entertaining enough, there is more that connects the two cities.
Montreal and Seattle have played each other in the Stanley Cup Final twice, back when the Metropolitans were Seattle’s professional hockey team. 1917 Seattle took the Cup from the Canadiens, who had just won their first title in 1916. Then, in 1919, the two teams were competing for the 1919 Stanley Cup, and with the Canadiens tying up the series at 2-2-1 after a 4-3 overtime win, the series was cancelled. The Spanish Influenza pandemic had been raging in North America for a year or so, and it didn’t spare the Habs, as they had most of their lineup fall ill prior to the deciding game, including “Bad” Joe Hall, who passed away only days later. This series remains the only Stanley Cup Final in NHL history to be cancelled for a non-strike-related reason.
5. Canadiens vs. Avalanche – Jan. 15
This game holds meaning as it will be the first game for Alex Newhook against the Colorado Avalanche, his former team. Professional athletes are prideful people, and there is no way that Newhook doesn’t hold some anger for being traded away. No matter how comfortable and happy he is in Montreal, he did win a Cup with Colorado in 2022. Grudge matches are always an entertaining game to take in.
The Avalanche chose to place their money on veteran assets, such as Ryan Johansen to play in their top six. Newhook was to be their heir apparent for the role, but general manager (GM) Chris MacFarland chose a different path after three years of grooming the young center. There will most likely be “money on the board” placed there by Newhook for the author of the game-winning goal if the Canadiens win.
There will be dozens more games that fans can point to and say that they should be on this list, and they’re correct. This isn’t an exhaustive list, but one that points to significant milestones or matchups throughout the season. The NHL is, at the end of the day, about entertainment, and these games listed have the makings of some truly entertaining moments.
