It’s official, the Montreal Canadiens will open the 2025-26 season by facing the Toronto Maple Leafs, a familiar situation for both teams.
The first game will take place on October 8, on the road, and will be followed by another road game the following night against the Detroit Red Wings. This difficult start to the season will set the tone for the Habs, who are set to play back-to-back games on 16 different occasions throughout the year.
No other team has more back-to-back games on their schedule, however, the Pittsburgh Penguins, the San Jose Sharks, the New York Islanders, and the Los Angeles Kings will also have to deal with a cramped scheduled due to the Olympic break that is set to take place in February.
On average, NHL teams are getting one more back-to-back this season compared to last season. (2024-25 teams had an average of 12.4 back-to-back games) pic.twitter.com/9WuknZKOqI
— NHLtoSeattle (@NHLtoSeattle) July 16, 2025
Montreal Canadiens Brass Tacks
The start of Montreal’s season features a lower quality of competition, offering them a good opportunity to start the year on the right track, which may be a necessity when evaluating the rest of the schedule.
Things get particularly difficult in late November, with the team facing three consecutive back-to-back games. They will face the Vegas Golden Knights and Colorado Avalanche on November 28th and 29th, followed by games against the Ottawa Senators and Winnipeg Jets on December 2nd and 3rd, before facing the Leafs and St. Louis Blues on December 6th and 7th.
The Habs will also have to deal with a rough schedule in March and April. They’re set to play 23 games in less than a month and a half, including six back-to-back games on the docket. This stretch of games will put an onus on having good starts from backup goalies, a key factor to winning the second leg of back-to-back games.
The schedule will further complicate their bid to qualify for the playoffs, ensuring a continual upward trajectory in a season that will carry many more expectations than previous years. Given the Habs sneaked into the playoffs last year, some may expect them to cruise their way to springtime hockey due to the improvements the team made by acquiring Noah Dobson and Zachary Bolduc.
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There’s no denying both players should add important elements to the lineup, but we also must remember the comedy of errors from several Eastern Conference teams that led to the Canadiens’ playoff appearance in 2024-25. That’s not to say they will definitely miss the playoffs next season, but the difficult schedule will certainly muddy the waters.
As for families who were hoping to bring their kids to a matinée game at the Bell Centre, they’re out of luck. The schedule does not include any opportunities for families to visit the arena in the afternoon, robbing them of one of their few chances to enjoy high-end hockey in a family-friendly atmosphere.