Oui the North

MONTREAL - Are you ready for some hockey?

On Sunday, the NHL and NHLPA announced that the 2020-21 season will start on January 13, with travel restrictions causing the Canadiens to play in an all-Canadian North Division for the year. Given where all seven Canadian teams currently stand, the shortened 56-game schedule should be jam-packed with exciting and competitive hockey north of the border.
Buoyed by support from Habs fans across the country, the Canadiens enter 2020-21 with a collective 28-11-8 record against the six other teams in the North Division the past three seasons. Here's a closer look at how the Habs have stacked up against their Canadian rivals recently.

Toronto Maple Leafs
The Canadiens swept their season against the archrival Maple Leafs, outscoring them 12-8 in three games. The Leafs finished third in the Atlantic Division in 2019-20 with a 36-25-9 record, but were ousted by the Columbus Blue Jackets in the Qualifying Round of the playoffs. Montreal holds a 4-4-3 record against Toronto over the past three seasons, but the Buds have outscored the Habs 44-30 in those 11 contests.

Ottawa Senators
The Canadiens went undefeated in regulation against their rivals down the 417, putting up a 3-0-1 record against the Sens and outscoring them 9-5 in 2019-20. Ottawa's 25-34-12 record placed it near the bottom of the Eastern Conference, but it would be a mistake to dismiss the Senators despite the Habs' three-year record of 9-1-2 in which they outscored them 41-23. Ottawa has made significant upgrades to its roster and former Hab Alex Galchenyuk is surely chomping at the bit to exact revenge on his old team.

Winnipeg Jets
The Canadiens and Jets split their season series at 1-1-0, although Montreal outscored Winnipeg 8-5. The Jets' .563 winning percentage placed them ninth in the West, and they bowed out to eighth-placed Calgary in the Qualifying Round. Winnipeg has not managed to win a playoff series since making it to the Conference Finals in 2018, but has the fourth-most wins in the NHL over the past three seasons. Much to former Canadien Nate Thompson's chagrin, the Habs have the edge over the Jets the last three years, with a 4-1-1 record and 25-17 goal differential.

Edmonton Oilers
Edmonton is one of the few Canadian clubs to have Montreal's number the last little while. In 2019-20, the Oilers won both contests against the Canadiens, outscoring Montreal 8-5. The Habs have managed just one win against the Oilers in six tries the past three seasons, with Edmonton nearly doubling Montreal in goal-scoring at 27-14. The Oilers returned to the postseason for the first time since 2017 last summer, but were bounced by the 12th-place Chicago Blackhawks in four games.

Calgary Flames
The Habs haven't lost in regulation to Calgary since the 2016-17 season, and won both games against the Flames in 2019-20, outscoring them 6-3. Montreal is 5-0-1 against Calgary over the past three seasons, edging the Flames 17-12 in goal differential. The Flames managed to oust the Jets in the Qualifying Round, but fell to the Stanley Cup finalist Dallas Stars in the 2020 Western Conference Quarterfinals.

Vancouver Canucks
Montreal and Vancouver split their 2019-20 season series, with the Habs winning once in regulation and Vancouver beating Montreal in overtime. The author of that OT goal won't be able to help Vancouver anymore, however, as Tyler Toffoli signed with the Canadiens as a free agent in the offseason. The Habs' last regulation loss against the Canucks dates back to 2015-16, and they hold a 5-0-1 record against their BC rivals the past three seasons, outscoring them 23-14.

In the 2020 playoffs, Vancouver went the deepest of any Canadian team, dropping the Minnesota Wild and St. Louis Blues before surrendering to the Vegas Golden Knights in seven games in the Western Conference Semifinals.