Montréal Canadiens at Chicago: The Read Before Puck Drop
Coach Tremblay · Published Oct 23, 2026 · Updated Oct 24, 2026
Montréal Canadiens to win
The read: A narrow lean toward Montréal, nothing settled here.
- Montréal Canadiens have put up stronger results than Chicago over recent seasons.
- Chicago Blackhawks play at home: home sides won 53% of NHL matches over the last 2 seasons.
- Montréal Canadiens played a game 3 days before this one.
Market median, read Oct 23, 2026, 8:50 a.m. ET. Median of UK bookmakers, not the price of any Ontario operator.
Price shown for information only and subject to change; this is not an invitation to bet. Restricted to those aged 19 and over in Ontario. Responsible gambling - ConnexOntario, 1 866 531-2600.
Form & standings
- 4-3-2
- Record
- 3-6-0
- 7th / 12th
- Division / Conference
- 8th / 15th
- OTL 3-4 (OT) vs SJS
- Last game
- L 0-4 vs DAL
- OT1
- Streak
- L1
As of publication. W win, L regulation loss, OTL overtime or shootout loss (OT: in overtime, SO: in a shootout). The record reads wins-losses-overtime losses; the streak, W3 = three wins in a row.
Head-to-head
MTL 2 – 0 CHI- Oct 11, 2025 Canadiens won 3–2
- Dec 18, 2025 Canadiens won 4–1
The market
Market median, read Oct 23, 2026, 8:50 a.m. ET. Median of UK bookmakers, not the price of any Ontario operator.
Price shown for information only and subject to change; this is not an invitation to bet. Restricted to those aged 19 and over in Ontario. Responsible gambling - ConnexOntario, 1 866 531-2600.
The analysis
A 1-1-1 record away from home: that's where Montréal sits heading into Chicago this season. The game, NHL regular season 2026-27, goes at the United Center, which holds 23,500 fans. Puck drop is Friday, October 23, 2026, 8:00 p.m. ET. Chicago hosts, Montréal is the visitor.
Chicago has been better at home this season: 3 wins, 2 losses, 0 overtime losses (3-2-0). Its full sequence reads L, W, W, L, L, W, L, L, L. The Blackhawks lost their last game in regulation. They are 8th in the Central Division and 15th in the Western Conference going into this game, with 6 points. Montréal has struggled on the road: 1 win, 1 loss, 1 overtime loss (1-1-1). Its sequence reads OTL, W, L, W, W, L, L, OTL, W. The Canadiens lost their last game in overtime. They are 7th in the Atlantic Division and 12th in the Eastern Conference going into this game, with 10 points.
Our feed has 2 meetings between these clubs from the 2025-2026 season. Montréal won 3-2 in Chicago on October 11, 2025. Montréal won 4-1 at home on December 18, 2025.
The market, read Friday, October 23, 2026, 8:50 a.m. ET, has Chicago at 2.25 (+125) and Montréal at 1.69 (-145). Montréal Canadiens are the favourite. That's a price, not advice.
Over the long run, the numbers lean toward Montréal, the stronger team across recent seasons. The ice leans the other way: home teams in the NHL win more often than not. Montréal also played a game 3 days before this one, which cuts into its freshness. I'll take the Montréal Canadiens to win. My confidence: low, both reads still carry real weight tonight.
After the game
WonMTL 4 – CHI 1
Montréal beat Chicago 4 to 1 in regulation, and the pick on the Canadiens to win holds up. Chicago scored first in the opening period, but Montréal answered and then ripped off 4 straight goals, from the 1st period to the 3rd period, unanswered to the end. Evans scored short-handed, Guhle added one, and Matheson closed out the scoring. The published odds of 1.69 matched how this one played out.
Published Oct 23, 2026 · Updated Oct 24, 2026
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