TEAM COMPARISONS
Montreal opened their exhibition schedule with back-to-back wins over the Pittsburgh Penguins and Philadelphia Flyers but slipped in a 7-2 loss to the Maple Leafs on Thursday. Does it matter? No, not in the standings, anyway. But as Brendan Gallagher reminded on Friday, you never want to lose –– especially not on home ice. That said, the Habs will be looking to even the score on the road.
Toronto, meanwhile, is enjoying a rather successful preseason of their own, with wins in two of their three outings to date. The Leafs scored a win over the Ottawa Senators on the road to open their tune up calendar but came up short on home ice to their provincial rivals two nights later before rolling past the Habs.
Saturday night may not count in the standings, but with these two teams ready to meet on opening night, expect a little extra bad blood in the Six.
LINEUP NEWS
The Canadiens are scheduled for a morning skate at 11:20 a.m. on Saturday. Subscribe to or follow the team on YouTube, Facebook and X (@CanadiensMTL) to catch Martin St-Louis' press conference and player media availabilities around noon, and keep an eye on the Canadiens social accounts for any potential lineup news. For the full official lineup, check back on the team’s social accounts closer to puck drop.
