The Montreal Canadiens will open the season against the Toronto Maple Leafs on October 8 in Toronto’s home opener with the NHL schedule announced on Wednesday. It will be the sixth straight year that Montreal opens the season against Toronto.
It was also announced that Montreal’s home opener will be Tuesday, October 14 at 7:00 p.m. when they host Shane Wright and the Seattle Kraken.
Montreal and Seattle have had early season games in Montreal before, including last season. The 8-2 loss to Seattle on October 29 set off a six-game losing streak that was the centre of Montreal’s slow start to the season.
It will be the first home opener for Ivan Demidov, after he has already made his regular season and playoff debuts for the team.
The NHL season opens on October 7. It will start off with a road trip for the Canadiens. After the game in Toronto, Montreal will play a back-to-back in Detroit on October 8, followed by the Chicago Blackhawks in Chicago’s home opener on October 11.
Montreal’s annual December road trip is seven games, split by the Christmas break. It will go to Pittsburgh, Boston, Tampa Bay, Florida, Carolina, St. Louis, and Dallas.
The annual Super Bowl weekend matinees will not take place, because of the Olympic break from February 4-26.
