NYR@MTL: What you need to know

MONTREAL – Kick off the first Molson FANatic Saturdays of the 2025-26 campaign with the Canadiens as they host the New York Rangers at the Bell Centre.

Here’s what you need to know heading into the game:

GAME FACTS

WHAT’S HAPPENING AT THE BELL CENTRE

Special Saturday programming

Weekend home games just got sweeter with the return of Molson FANatic Saturdays. For the first edition of the 2025-26 season, fans can head to Lord William Pub for the pregame party starting at 4:00 p.m. Prizes – including five pairs of tickets to tonight’s game, courtesy of Molson – are up for grabs. The fun continues at the Bell Centre with additional opportunities to win prizes then wraps up at Lord William Pub again for the postgame party. For more details, click here.

Support local restaurants

The Restaurant Spotlight powered by Interac sets up shop at the Bell Centre for the first of six dates on Saturday. Mile End eatery Loumi will be serving Mediterranean takes on burgers, fries, and more in M2 Marché Montréal Loto-Québec. See more details here.

Hockey meets art

The Artist Series presented by Loto-Québec returns to the Bell Centre. Watch local artist Marc Sirus create a one-of-a-kind painting in real-time inspired by the New York-Montreal rivalry live in M2 Marché Montréal Loto-Québec. In total, 12 artists will create a unique work of art this season, and you could win one of their creations by clicking here.

Your favorite mascot returns

That’s right, METAL!’s back. The unofficial mascot's confusing situationship with retirement continues every Saturday home game this season. For more details, click here (at your own peril).

TEAM COMPARISONS

The Canadiens certainly had a flair for the dramatic on Thursday when they mustered a 3-2 (OT) comeback win against the Nashville Predators at the Bell Centre. With 40 seconds left in regulation, Cole Caufield scored the game-tying goal to force three-on-three hockey, only to score with seconds to go in overtime. Head coach Martin St-Louis summed it best when he said: “Did Cole score two again?”

It was a deja vu moment for all as Caufield notched the game-winner in overtime in a previous comeback win on Tuesday against the Seattle Kraken. Riding a four-game win streak, the Canadiens are one of the most exciting teams to watch since the start of the young season.

While Montreal is flying high, New York is trying to find consistency in the win column. The Rangers, who are celebrating their Centennial season, have dropped three in a row and have been shut out three times in as many games at Madison Square Garden. Still, Mike Sullivan’s squad has proven to be more of a threat on the road so far, outscoring their opponents 11 to 3.

SEASON SERIES

Oct. 18 vs. NYR:

Dec. 13 @ NYR:

Apr. 2 @ NYR:

PLAYERS TO WATCH FOR

A bright spot for the Rangers is defenseman Adam Fox. The right-shot blue-liner has three goals this season, and enjoyed a three-point outing in a 6-1 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins last week. According to Bleacher Report, it took him 48 games in 2024-25 to notch three tallies, so Fox is off to a good start in his seventh season with New York.

For the Habs, Caufield is an obvious choice as he leads the Canadiens in goals (5), is on a four-game point streak, and is one goal away from tying the franchise record for the most game-winners in overtime. But Lane Hutson and Nick Suzuki also deserve their flowers. The former has points in three consecutive games and prevented the puck from going into an empty net before feeding Caufield for his game-tying tally in Thursday’s contest. Meanwhile, the latter captured his seventh assist of the season when he set up Caufield for the game-winner and is tied with his linemate in points (7).

BY THE NUMBERS: RANGERS-CANADIENS

Here’s how the Rangers and Canadiens match up by the numbers:

LINEUP NEWS

Following a day off on Friday, the Canadiens are scheduled for a morning skate at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday. Subscribe to or follow the team on YouTube, Facebook and X (@CanadiensMTL) to catch St-Louis' press conference and player media availabilities around 11:00 a.m., 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.