The Montreal Canadiens are having a thrilling 2025–26 season, and this upcoming week is a crucial one. Here are the key storylines surrounding the team and a look at their upcoming schedule.
The Bell Centre’s 30th Anniversary
The Canadiens are celebrating three decades of their home arena on Sunday, March 15, against the Anaheim Ducks (the building originally opened as the Molson Centre on March 16, 1996).
Festivities include a pregame tribute, commemorative merchandise to benefit the Canadiens Alumni Association, and fan photo ops with former goaltender Jocelyn Thibault and his mask from the inaugural game.
A “New Era” in the Crease
Goaltending is the primary talking point this week. Jacob Fowler was recently recalled from the Laval Rocket to pair up with Jakub Dobes. Pundits and fans are watching closely to see if this young tandem can reliably carry the load as the playoff push intensifies.
The Atlantic Division Dogfight
Montreal is enjoying a massive bounce-back season, currently sitting third in a highly competitive Atlantic Division with a 36-19-10 record. Though they recently had a winning streak snapped in a 4-2 loss to the San Jose Sharks, they remain in a strong playoff position and have been dominant against domestic Canadian rivals all season.
Ivan Demidov’s Calder Push
Rookie Ivan Demidov has been a revelation, recently matching the Anaheim Ducks’ Beckett Sennecke atop the NHL’s rookie scoring leaderboard.
Post-Trade Deadline Reality
The team opted not to trade Patrik Laine at the deadline, showing confidence in their current group. They did make a few depth moves, including acquiring Hunter Shepard and Jake Chiasson from the Ottawa Senators and signing Luke Mittelstadt to an entry-level contract.
Canadiens Upcoming Schedule
The outlook for the next seven days is all about divisional playoff positioning. The Canadiens play four games, and three of them are in the friendly confines of the Bell Centre.
The most critical matchups are against the Boston Bruins and the Detroit Red Wings. Both of these teams are trailing just a few points behind Montreal in the Atlantic Division standings. These are quintessential “four-point games”—winning them will help Montreal secure their playoff spot and potentially challenge for home-ice advantage, while losing them could drop the Habs into a wild card fight.
| Date | Opponent | Location | Time (EDT) |
| Sunday, March 15 | vs. Anaheim Ducks | Bell Centre (Montreal, QC) | 7:00 PM |
| Tuesday, March 17 | vs. Boston Bruins | Bell Centre (Montreal, QC) | 7:00 PM |
| Thursday, March 19 | @ Detroit Red Wings | Little Caesars Arena (Detroit, MI) | 7:00 PM |
| Saturday, March 21 | vs. New York Islanders | Bell Centre (Montreal, QC) | 7:00 PM |
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