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Canadiens Gameday Preview: Hosting Big Challenge in Avalanche

Montreal Canadiens forward Cole Caufield celebrates after scoring his 50th goal of the season with teammate forward Nick Suzuki (Eric Bolte-Imagn Images)

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Canadiens Gameday Preview: Hosting Big Challenge in Avalanche

Originally posted on The Hockey Writers | By Edgar Chaput | Last updated Nov 14, 2026 11:55 AM ET

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Following their signature 5-2 victory over the Boston Bruins on Thursday, the Montreal Canadiens return to the Bell Centre on Saturday night to face one of the league’s consistent winners, the Colorado Avalanche.

Storyline No. 1: Montreal’s Super-Charged Week

The race is on in the Atlantic Division as the Canadiens took a crack at Boston, who led it at the time of puck drop on Nov. 12, skating to a comfortable victory. Ironically, the Tampa Bay Lightning also emerged victorious on the same evening, vaulting them into first place, but Montreal’s message had been sent: it’ll be a contender, just like last season.

It has been a whirlwind eight days for the Canadiens. Last Saturday, they faced the Toronto Maple Leafs and won, and then came back home on Tuesday to lose to a stern Minnesota Wild side on a night when Hockey Hall of Fame inductee Carey Price was honoured.

Then there was the aforementioned Bruins bout, with the saga concluding Saturday versus the Avalanche. Even though it is three decades removed from the Quebec Nordiques transplant to Denver, there is always a special atmosphere in the arena, even if the jersey looks different.

Storyline No. 2: Solidify Home Ice

There have been precious few blemishes for the Canadiens through 19 contests, but there is always room for improvement in some departments. In this case, the club could benefit from an all-around convincing effort at home.

Although going toe-to-toe against Colorado is no easy feat, surely head coach Martin St. Louis and supporters would like to know that the team can reliably hold the fort. Then again, if all else fails, they can count on Mr. Saturday Night, Cole Caufield, to spark some fireworks.

To be clear, they have a winning record at the Bell Centre: 5-2-3. But many of their slip-ups have been at home when contrasted with their away tally of 7-1-1. Moreover, their home games are wild affairs, often going to overtime, frequently levelled at 3-3 or 4-4 late, even clinging to slim leads with plenty of goals already scored. The egregious collapses have transpired at the Bell Centre, for that matter.

Storyline No. 3: Preparing For an Avalanche of Scenarios

The Avalanche had a rough go in Ottawa on Thursday against the Senators. Both superstars Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar left the match battered and bruised. As of Saturday morning, it’s unclear if either will line up against Montreal. Both are considered game-time decisions.

That is not an excuse for the Canadiens to let a brilliant statement opportunity slip by. The Avalanche have plenty of firepower to cause headaches. Just ask the Senators, who still needed overtime to finally vanquish the opponent.

Given that the Canadiens are penalized a lot, with 11.1 minutes per contest (sixth-most in the NHL), the penalty kill will be put to the test. The Avalanche click to the tune of 23.88% on the power play, which is 11^th league-wide.