For the first time in 2025-26, the Boston Bruins and Montreal Canadiens will meet on the ice on Saturday night. The first matchup will be at the Bell Centre, and both teams will be coming in off a loss.
The Bruins had their seven-game winning streak snapped on Thursday night with a 5-3 loss to the Ottawa Senators. After battling back from a 3-1 third-period deficit, Boston had a defensive turnover that led to the game-winning goal.
As for the Canadiens, they are coming in off a pair of losses, both in ugly fashion. They lost at home to the Los Angeles Kings on Tuesday night, 5-1, before they were beaten, 7-0, by the Dallas Stars on Thursday night. That is the worst possible outcome for the Black and Gold, as Montreal will be an angry team when they take the ice, something Boston didn't need.
Bruins to start Jermey Swayman against Canadiens
Joonas Korpisalo got the start against Ottawa, and not surprisingly, head coach Marco Sturm will go with Jeremy Swayman again at Montreal. Swayman won his last two starts against the Toronto Maple Leafs, 5-3, last Saturday and this past Tuesday night.
Even though Sturm admitted on Friday that he doesn't look at the standings until the end of the season, this is a big game for both teams. Along with Ottawa, Boston and Montreal enter the game with 22 points each and tied on top of the Atlantic Division standings. We are less than two weeks away from the measuring stick of American Thanksgiving for all teams.
Montreal made the playoffs last year, and they are ready to take the next step in 2025-26 and finish higher than a wild-card spot. Like the Bruins, they too are dealing with injuries to some key players, but if Boston wants to even consider getting points, they need to be ready to go from the drop of the puck. If not, it could be another long night.