It will be the 34th time the Canadiens have played on Super Bowl Sunday; they are 19-11-1 with two ties. The one post-regulation loss came two years ago, when the Oilers won 1-0 in a shootout. The Canadiens defeated the visiting Ottawa Senators 4-1 on Feb. 5, 2018, before the Philadelphia Eagles defeated the New England Patriots 41-33 to win their first Super Bowl.
The Washington Capitals, who are second with 17 victories, host the Boston Bruins (12:30 p.m. ET; NBC). The Capitals lost 4-3 at home to the Vegas Golden Knights last year, dropping them to 17-9-0 with two ties. The Bruins are 13-4-1 with one tie but haven't played on Super Bowl Sunday since 2012, when they defeated the Capitals 4-1 in Washington.
The Chicago Blackhawks are the only other team to reach double figures in Super Bowl Sunday wins. The Blackhawks are 13-3-0 with two ties. However, they haven't played on Super Bowl Sunday since Feb. 1, 2004, when they lost 6-4 in Montreal.
There have been eight instances in which an NHL team won its game on the same day as the NFL team based in the same city or metropolitan area won the Super Bowl. The last time it happened was Feb. 5, 2012, when the New York Rangers and New Jersey Devils each won their games before the New York Giants defeated the Patriots. The Rangers also won on Feb. 3, 2008, before the Giants defeated the Patriots. The Bruins have won their game twice on days the Patriots won the Super Bowl (2002, 2004). The Capitals won prior to a victory by the Washington Redskins in 1988 and 1992.
NHL teams have scored at least seven goals in a game on Super Bowl Sunday 15 times (including shootout-deciding goals). The most-recent instance was in 2016, when the New York Islanders defeated the Oilers 8-1 at Barclays Center.
The most goals scored in a Super Bowl Sunday game is nine; the Bruins did it three times (9-2 against the Minnesota North Stars on Jan. 14, 1968, 9-1 against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Jan. 17, 1971, and 9-2 against the Detroit Red Wings on Jan. 16, 1972).
