After missing the playoffs for the past three seasons, the Montreal Canadiens are heading into the new season with renewed optimism. However, due to injury, they will now be without one of their top offseason acquisitions, Patrik Laine.
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By the start of the New Year, the Canadiens will be approaching the halfway point of their season and will play 14 times in January,
They play eight games at the Bell Centre and six on the road and will skate in prime time every Saturday with four contests. Here are three games that fans should look forward to during the holiday season.
3. January 4 at Colorado Avalanche
Last year, Montreal defeated the Colorado Avalanche in both meetings, each by one goal, 4-3 and 2-1. In the end, those losses didn’t mean much to the Avalanche, who finished third in the Central Division and advanced to the second round of the playoffs.
This January 4 showdown is worth tuning into because fans will get to watch the reigning Hart Trophy winner, Nathan MacKinnon, in action. In 17 career games against the Canadiens, he’s got 16 points.
Second, this road game comes on the tail end of a back-to-back since Montreal will play Connor Bedard and the Chicago Blackhawks on Friday night before jetting into Denver for a late-night Hockey Night in Canada game.
2. January 14 at Utah Hockey Club
After visiting two Central Division opponents in the first four days of the month, the Canadiens are back on the road with their first-ever visit to Salt Lake City to take on the Utah Hockey Club on January 14.
Even though Montreal dominated its matchups against the Winnipeg Jets and Arizona Coyotes franchises, those records will not be displayed in Utah, which gets a clean slate from its previous stops. This is the first meeting between the two teams.
In addition to the crazy low concession prices, the Canadiens get their first look at the Delta Center, a basketball-style arena with questionable sightlines.
1. January 18 vs. Toronto Maple Leafs
There are 14 games to choose from in January, but the third meeting of the season with the Toronto Maple Leafs will be the month’s must-watch contest.
As the longest and, depending on the season, fiercest rivalry in pro hockey, this year’s meetings will be a talking point every week since a Maple Leafs forward (Cedric Pare) clipped Laine, possibly ending his season before it even began.
Besides the on-ice drama, former Canadiens captain Max Pacioretty could earn a contract with Toronto and become a thorn in his old team’s side.
As always, there’s never a shortage of storylines to follow when the league’s two oldest teams meet, but after their feisty pre-season tilts, this year’s matchups are shaping up to be one of the best in recent memory.
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