Game 2: Montreal Canadiens @ Boston Bruins
Start time: 7:00 PM EDT / 4:00 PM PDT
In Canada: Sportsnet (English), TVA Sports (French)
Streaming: ESPN+, Sportsnet+
Given how the pre-season went, with the focus shifting from getting into game shape to just surviving the meaningless games, the Montreal Canadiens went into their first game of the 2024-25 season with a group that hadn’t actually played together. There was a clear pre-season feeling to the game, for both the Canadiens and the Toronto Maple Leafs, as it didn’t have the usual energy you’d expect in this matchup.
The aspect that looked the least refined was the Habs’ play in their own end, as players were mostly chasing the puck and not focused on maintaining position. That left a lot of lanes open, and forced Samuel Montembeault to be busy, facing 48 shots and stopping them all. It’s an area that needed to be corrected following last season, and now one that the coaching staff can use to help fix the situation. There’s no time to work on that just yet, however, because the Canadiens are making the trip to Boston to play the Bruins on a season-opening back-to-back.
| Canadiens | Statistics | Bruins |
|---|---|---|
| 1-0-0 | Record | 0-1-0 |
| 34.7% (17th) | Scoring-chances-for % | 27.5% (15th) |
| 1.00 (15th) | Goals per game | 4.00 (5th) |
| 0.00 (T-1st) | Goals against per game | 6.00 (17th) |
| 20.0% (5th) | PP% | 25.0% (4th) |
| 100.0% (T-1st) | PK% | 100.0% (T-1st) |
| 1-2-1 | Head-to-Head Record (23-24) | 3-0-1 |
ranks out of the 18 teams to play so far
The Bruins are off to an 0-1 start this season. Part of that is that they didn’t have a Montembeault in net for their opener — Jeremy Swayman had signed two days earlier and didn’t get the start — but they were also facing a Florida Panthers team that had just received its Stanley Cup rings, raised its championship banner, and looked eager to start its defence of the trophy.
Montreal’s defensive issues are largely the result of the youth they have throughout the lineup, and the Bruins have quietly become one of those young teams as well. The Canadiens have the second-youngest average age in the NHL this season at 25.4 years old; the Bruins rank seventh with an average age of 26.9. Unlike the Canadiens who included three rookies on the 23-man roster, there are no first-year players for the Bruins, so they hold the experience advantage, even if it’s a small one.
If the Canadiens want to make the post-season (everyone involved with the team suggested or outright stated that was the case), it may be the Bruins or Tampa Bay Lightning, two teams that have declined from their perennial contender status over the past couple of years, that Montreal passes to claim a spot. The Bruins were unimpressive in their game on Tuesday, but the Canadiens also aren’t the Panthers. The battle for the final spots for Atlantic Divisions teams should be a tight one all season long, and the first head-to-head meeting in that six-team fight will play out at TD Garden.
