Get ready for a dose of nostalgia tonight as the Montreal Canadiens will host the Colorado Avalanche, who will be rocking their blue Quebec Nordiques alternate jersey at the Bell Centre. Here's everything you need to know ahead of the duel.
For the second time this season, and for the first time in the province this year, the Montreal Canadiens will be taking on the Colorado Avalanche masquerading as the Quebec Nordiques on Thursday night at the Bell Centre. Thanks to a derogation from the league, the visitors will be wearing their blue jerseys, which should give every fan who lived through the Quebec-Montreal rivalry a trip down memory lane.
The last time the two teams met, the Habs were obliterated by the Avs, who put seven goals past Jakub Dobes. Brock Nelson led the charge with two goals and two assists while Nathan MacKinnon and Gabriel Landeskog had three points each. The latter won’t be a problem for the Canadiens tonight as he’s currently injured, but Devon Toews, who has been out for three weeks, is now considered day-to-day and could return. Just like the Canadiens’ last opponents, the Vegas Golden Knights, the Avs are coming off a frustrating 5-2 loss against the Ottawa Senators and will be looking to bounce back in the second game of their back-to-back.
At one stage this season, the Avs looked near invincible, but since we’ve entered 2026, they have lost two games in a row three times, so it doesn’t look like an impossible mission for the Canadiens. Still, Colorado has won seven of the last 10 duels between the two teams, including the previous two.
Martin St-Louis has already announced that Dobes will be in the net, giving him a chance to avenge the seven-goal beating he took in November. The Czech netminder has a 1-1-0 record against the visitors with a 3.84 goals-against average and a .864 save percentage. After his strong performance against the Golden Knights, he has brought his GAA on the year back under 3.00 at 2.96, and his SV now stands at .890. Meanwhile, Samuel Montembeault has a 1-0-1 record against Colorado with a 2.61 GAA and a .916 SV.
Colorado’s starter has yet to be confirmed, but since Mackenzie Blackwood played in Ottawa last night, it would make sense for Scott Wedgewood to get the start, even though his record against the Habs isn’t excellent. He’s 0-1-0 with a 4.45 GAA and a .778 SV, while Blackwood is 6-0-2 with a 2.41 GAA and a .922 SV.
Up front, the Avs will want to keep a close eye on Nick Suzuki, who has 10 points in as many games against them. Phillip Danault also has 10 points when facing Colorado, but in 21 games, and Brendan Gallagher completes the top three with nine points in 17 games.
Colorado would be smart to pay attention to Cole Caufield, as well. The sniper has five points in seven games against the visitors, but he’s on an incredible run right now with points and goals in his last six games. He’s got 11 points in that span, including nine goals. His goal-scoring streak matches those of Max Pacioretty (2014-15) and Max Domi (2019-20) for the longest in 30 years for a Hab player. He still has a long way to go to break the franchise record that was set by Joe Malone, who scored in 14 consecutive games in 1917-18. Newsy Lalonde is in second place with goals in 13 straight games in 1920-21, and multiple players have had nine-game goal streaks with the Habs: Lalonde, Aurele Joliat, Maurice Richard, Bernard Geoffrion, and Denis Savard. The Franchise’s last seven-goal game streak dates back to 1981-82 when Steve Shutt accomplished the feat.
Meanwhile, the Canadiens will want to find a way to contain Nelson, who now has 31 points in 33 games against the Habs, Brent Burns, who has 21 points in 29 games, and Nathan MacKinnon, who has 20 points in as many games. As for Artturi Lehkonen, he has seven points in just six games against his former team.
Puck drop is set for 7:00 PM, and you can catch the game on RDS, TSN2, and ALT. Justin Kea and Frederick L'Ecuyer will be the referees, while Michel Cormier and Devin Berg will be the linemen.
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