Montreal Canadiens vs. Boston Bruins
How to watch
Start time: 7:00 PM EDT / 4:00 PM PDT
In the Canadiens region: TSN2 (English), RDS (French)
In the Bruins region: NESN
Streaming: ESPN+, RDS Direct, TSN+
The Montreal Canadiens’ 1976-77 team is regarded as arguably the best the NHL has ever seen. In an 80-game season, the club amassed 60 wins, 12 ties, and just eight losses. That campaign was sandwiched between seasons of 58 and 59 wins during one of the dynasties in the organization’s history.
In their 81st game of the 2022-23 season on Tuesday, the Boston Bruins recorded a 133rd point to eclipse that single-season mark, after already claiming the single-season wins mark a few days earlier. Tonight they wrap up this historic season in Montreal, looking ahead a post-season in which they will hold home-ice advantage all the way through.
Tale of the Tape
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| Canadiens | Statistics | Bruins |
|---|---|---|
| 31-44-6 | Record | 64-12-5 |
| 43.1% (30th) | Scoring-chances-for % | 53.3% (8th) |
| 2.75 (26th) | Goals per game | 3.65 (2nd) |
| 3.70 (29th) | Goals against per game | 2.10 (1st) |
| 16.3% (28th) | PP% | 22.7 (11th) |
| 72.1% (29th) | PK% | 87.1% (1st) |
| 0-2-0 | Head-to-Head Record | 2-0-0 |
The Canadiens are obviously nowhere close to the Bruins’ level this season, with just over half of Boston’s record-setting point total to their name. In nearly every category you’ll find the Bruins near the top, and the Habs near the bottom. Even so, the two games the teams have contested so far have been relatively close affairs as the rivalry has brought out the best in a mishmash of a Habs team ravaged by injuries.
Both games have ended with 4-2 scorelines in Boston’s favour, which just happens to be about the margin they’ve outscored opponents by this season. The fact that Montreal has performed at an average level in the season series is an indication of how the fifth-worst team has elevated its level for this matchup.
The difference in the third and final Habs-Bruins game will be that Kirby Dach isn’t available to play another 24 minutes. The first-year Canadiens forward was instrumental in making those games competitive, scoring three of Montreal’s four goals in the series.
Without him, Nick Suzuki will be the main focus. The captain has been trying his best to pull the team to a respectable finish over the past couple of weeks, bouncing back from a quiet period in his season. He doesn’t have nearly the same supporting cast without Dach, Cole Caufield, or even Rafaël Harvey-Pinard on his line, so he’s just working with what he’s given to create offensive chances.
There’s also an opportunity for Joël Teasdale and Sean Farrell, a Massachusetts-born forward, to get their first taste of the rivalry, even if Boston decides to rest some stars for the final game of the regular season. Both rookies will be playing a second game in 24 hours, a good test of their fitness and their professional skills to take a final lesson into the off-season, hoping to become part of a team that will play beyond the 82nd game in 2024.
