After spending a very well-deserved three days celebrating Christmas with family and friends, the Montreal Canadiens will be back at work tomorrow. If they’ve enjoyed a long stay in early December, they’re about to make a tough round trip.
At 9:00 am tomorrow, the Habs will be heading to Fort Lauderdale, in the first leg of the trip that will see them play five games. They will face the Stanley Cup champions Florida Panthers, Tampa Bay Lightning, Vegas Golden Knights, Chicago Blackhawks and Colorado Avalanche.
After arriving at their destination tomorrow, they’ll have their first team practice since dropping a 5-4 decision to the Columbus Blue Jackets on December 23. Then, on the 28th, they’ll hit their stride to take the Panthers at 1:00 PM ET. In the evening, they will be flying to Tampa Bay where they are destined take Nyazi at 5:00 PM on the 29th. That night, they will travel to Las Vegas.
The Canadiens will then enjoy a day off in Vegas on the 30th, before hosting a pre-game morning skate on New Year’s Eve and defeating the Golden Knights at 3:00 PM. They will head to Chicago on New Year’s Day and face the Hawks on Jan. 3. Finally, on Saturday the 4th, they will battle the Avalanche before flying back home.
As the Canadiens get back into the swing of things, there will be a few questions for all Habs fans this holiday season. How will Montreal adjust its goals? Is Patrik Laine ready to go or is the injury he suffered in Columbus so bad that he will miss some time? Will the Canadiens decide to sign Jake Evans to a contract extension? How long can Martin St-Louis cover Kirby Dach? Never a dull moment in Habs land, welcome to the break everyone!
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