WHAT’S HAPPENING AT THE BELL CENTRE
Pregame ceremony for Pierre Houde
After honoring Shea Weber at the Bell Centre on Saturday for his induction into the Hockey Hall of Fame, the Canadiens will hold a pregame ceremony to celebrate French language play-by-play announcer Pierre Houde, who received the prestigious Foster Hewitt Memorial Award for his tremendous contributions to his profession and the game.
Mercredis METAL! Mondays
The night wouldn’t be complete without Mercredis METAL! Mondays where free (permanent) METAL!-themed tattoos will be offered on a first-come, first-served basis by DFA Tattoos. Fans can put their names on the list in Section 117 when they arrive at the Bell Centre.
By the way, if you’re in the building, you may want to pay special attention to Youppi!’s beloved brother for a concert tickets giveaway to a concert. How to win? Be ready to rock!
Prime Monday Night Hockey in Canada
Tonight’s game will be broadcast on Prime Video, the exclusive English-language broadcaster of all national Monday night NHL games in Canada, as of this season. For Canadiens fans watching in English across the country, this will be the second of five Habs games streamed on the video service in 2024-25. Please note the contest is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET.
Meanwhile, fans at the Bell Centre can see the Prime Monday Night Hockey desk and broadcasters live, located in Section M2 of the venue.
TEAM COMPARISONS
The Canadiens moved one step closer to finding that coveted offensive and defensive consistency with a 5-1 win over the Columbus Blue Jackets at the Bell Centre on Saturday. Five different players (Mike Matheson, Nick Suzuki, Lucas Condotta, Jake Evans and Josh Anderson) scored, while goaltender Samuel Montembeault turned aside 25 shots. The Habs have struggled to play sound hockey on both ends of the ice all season long, but Martin St-Louis' troops will be looking to build off their victory – their second in three games – as they head into the week with only two, yet very important, games on the docket against the Oilers and the Vegas Golden Knights.
Consistency is also something Montreal’s opponents are searching for. While the Oilers are off to a better start this season than they were last season through 18 games (2023-24: 5-12-1 vs. 2024-25: 9-7-2), holding onto leads, a lack of scoring depth, and defensive and goaltending issues have been headaches for the Alberta club. Despite early struggles, Edmonton is only four points out from claiming the top spot in the Pacific Division where they currently sit fifth, and has been successful on the road with a 5-2-1 record. Kris Knoblauch’s contingent are visiting Canada’s eastern squads for a three-game road trip that began in Toronto, where they not only lost 4-3 to the Maple Leafs in overtime (despite holding a 2-1 lead heading into the final frame), but also lost imposing defenseman Darnell Nurse who was on the receiving end of a hit to the head from Ryan Reaves. Considering his injury, Edmonton recalled veteran blue-liner Josh Brown from the AHL’s Bakersfield Condors on Sunday. Also expected to face Montreal are former Habs Brett Kulak and Corey Perry.
PLAYERS TO WATCH FOR
It comes as no surprise that the Canadiens will need to pay close attention to Leon Draisaitl and Connor McDavid as both have been doing much of the offensive heavy lifting for Edmonton. The duo is enjoying respective four-game point streaks, as the former has picked up eight points (4G, 4A), while the latter has amassed 11 (4G, 7A). Draisaitl has a road streak going as well, with five goals and five assists in four consecutive games in away arenas. Meanwhile, Captain McDavid recently exceeded the 1,000-point mark.
Edmonton will want to keep an eye on shifty defenseman Lane Hutson, who continues to wow opponents and fans across the League. Still in search of his first NHL goal, the rookie rearguard has four helpers in his past five outings, bringing his season total to 11 points (all assists). Suzuki is also producing at a point-per-game pace with 18 in as many outings, while Cole Caufield’s 12 tallies place him in a four-way tie for fourth in goals in the NHL.
BY THE NUMBERS: OILERS-CANADIENS
Here’s how the Oilers and Canadiens match up by the numbers:
