Unlike last season, when we had to wait for seemingly forever until the Canadiens finally got to take on the Bruins, this season the Habs will open their home schedule against Boston on Thursday, October 16. The two ancient rivals will face off twice more in November, at home on Thursday, November 13, and on Saturday, November 22. A full three months later, the Habs will take on the Bruins once more, on Sunday, February 8.
Also unlike last season, when the Canadiens had to wait until the new year to face the Detroit Red Wings, they will host the Wings on Tuesday, October 22 in just their third home game of the season.
Smack in the middle of those two exciting home games in October against division rivals, Patrick Roy is back in town on Saturday, October 18 with his Colorado Avalanche, just the second time Roy will coach in Montreal.
As if that first stretch of home games isn’t exciting enough, the Habs will be hosting the New York Rangers to finish off that October homestand, with an opportunity to get some revenge for being eliminated in the Eastern Conference Finals this past May on Saturday, October 25.
October may be the most exciting game of the calendar year in terms of scheduling, but November is no slouch with the Chicago Blackhawks coming to town on Tuesday, November 4.
The Canadiens will host the Stanley Cup Champion Los Angeles Kings on Friday, December 12, which should be a good measuring stick for how the season is going.
The Habs will be on the road from the 20th of December to the 6th of January in order to accommodate the World Junior Hockey Championships, though due to the holiday break, that only means a five-game road trip.
As is tradition, the Canadiens will close out the season against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday, April 11. Seven of the Canadiens’ last ten games of the season are against teams who missed the playoffs last season.
