Montréal goes to Chicago without Nick Suzuki for the first time in his NHL career. His run of 546 straight games ended on Thursday. The club has ruled him out for two to four weeks with a hand injury. Our Canadiens vs Blackhawks prediction, the team news on both sides and the Canadian prices are below.
How to watch
| Detail | |
|---|---|
| Game | Montréal Canadiens at Chicago Blackhawks |
| Date | Friday 23 October 2026 |
| Puck drop | 8:00pm ET / 7:00pm CT |
| Venue | United Center |
| Records | Montréal 4-3-2, Chicago 3-6-0 |
| Rest | Montréal with 2 days off, Chicago with 5 days off |
| Canadian broadcast | TSN2, RDS |
Regional listings can differ from the national one, and blackouts apply in parts of Canada. Our how to watch the NHL in Canada page sets out the options.
Canadiens vs Blackhawks odds
Moneyline prices from 3 Canadian sportsbooks, captured on 2026-10-22. American odds throughout.
| Sportsbook | Montréal | Chicago |
|---|---|---|
| Betano (CA – ON) | −149 | +112 |
| PROLINE (CA – ON) | −147 | +102 |
| Sports Interaction (CA – ON) | −141 | +115 |
These are stored prices rather than live ones, and a hockey line moves the moment a starting goaltender is confirmed, so check before you bet. Our NHL betting sites page sets out which operates where, and who is expected in net is on our projected NHL starting goalies page.
Chicago is 3-6-0 and all three wins have come at the United Center
The Blackhawks sit 29th in the league on six points with a goal difference of minus fifteen. They have lost all four road games, but at home they are 3-2, with wins over St Louis, Pittsburgh and Winnipeg and defeats to Carolina and Dallas.
Connor Bedard has played three of the nine. He had shoulder surgery in July and made his season debut against Pittsburgh on 13 October. He has a goal and two assists since, and Chicago has won two of those three games.
The most recent game was a 4-0 home defeat to Dallas last Saturday in which Chicago managed 19 shots. Nobody has played since. The Blackhawks arrive with five days off. Anton Frondell, 19, leads the club with six points. Patrick Kane has five and is minus eleven.
How they compare
| 2025-26 | Montréal Canadiens | Chicago Blackhawks |
|---|---|---|
| Record | 48-24-10 | 29-39-14 |
| Points | 106 | 72 |
| Goals for per game | 3.45 | 2.60 |
| Goals against per game | 3.12 | 3.35 |
| Power play | 23.1% | 16.9% |
| Penalty kill | 78.2% | 83.6% |
Last season’s gap was thirty-four points. Montréal scored almost a goal a game more than Chicago and had much the better power play. The penalty kill is the one column Chicago won. It won it clearly.
Montréal has not won in regulation since opening night
The Canadiens are 4-3-2, and the 3-2 win in Toronto on 29 September is their only regulation win. The other three, over Detroit and twice over Buffalo, all came past regulation, and each of the last five games has been decided by a single goal.
Nick Suzuki is out for two to four weeks. A Michael Kesselring shot caught his left hand late in Tuesday’s 4-3 overtime loss to San Jose. He finished the game. He leads the club with 12 points. His 546 consecutive games was the second-longest active streak in the league. Ivan Demidov is also out for two to four weeks. His lower-body injury was announced earlier in the week.
Cole Caufield has six goals and Lane Hutson nine points from the blue line. Caufield and Juraj Slafkovský practised on Thursday with Oliver Kapanen at centre. Samuel Montembeault is on injured reserve, so the net belongs to Jakub Dobes or Jacob Fowler.
Montréal swept last season’s two meetings
| Date | Result | Venue |
|---|---|---|
| 18 Dec 2025 | Montréal 4-1 | Montréal |
| 11 Oct 2025 | Montréal 3-2 | Chicago |
| 14 Apr 2025 | Chicago 4-3 (SO) | Montréal |
| 3 Jan 2025 | Chicago 4-2 | Chicago |
| 22 Dec 2023 | Montréal 5-2 | Chicago |
The all-time series stands 418 wins to 242 in Montréal’s favour across 660 meetings. It has won three of the last five, both games last season among them. The last visit to the United Center, on 11 October 2025, finished 3-2 to the Canadiens.
Those five produced 5, 5, 7, 6 and 7 goals, an average of six. Two of the five cleared a line of 6.5 and three did not.
Team news
| Club | Player | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Montréal | Nick Suzuki | Out, hand, two to four weeks per the club |
| Montréal | Ivan Demidov | Out, lower body, two to four weeks per the club |
| Montréal | Samuel Montembeault | Out, lower body, on injured reserve |
| Montréal | Mike Matheson | Day to day, lower body, missed Tuesday |
| Montréal | Florian Xhekaj | Out, lower body, on injured reserve |
| Montréal | Bryce Pickford | Out, undisclosed, injured non-roster |
| Montréal | Lucas Condotta | Out, undisclosed, injured non-roster |
| Chicago | Bowen Byram | Day to day, upper body, missed the last two |
| Chicago | Andrew Mangiapane | Out, lower body, on injured reserve since 29 September |
Who starts in goal is an open question. Montréal has split between Dobes (5 starts, .847) and Fowler (4, .900), and Chicago has split between Knight (7 starts, .888) and Soderblom (2, .820). A save percentage is a season aggregate rather than a lineup, so treat either name as a possibility and not a plan.
Our NHL injury report tracks every other club.
Players to watch
Connor Bedard, Chicago. Three games into a season that began with July shoulder surgery, three points, and two Chicago wins in the three.
Cole Caufield, Montréal. Six goals in nine, a goal and an assist against San Jose on Tuesday, and a new centre this week.
Jacob Fowler, Montréal. A .900 across four starts at 21, against the .847 Dobes carries across five. Whether he gets the net is the biggest selection call here.
Score prediction
Montréal Canadiens 4-3 Chicago Blackhawks. Montréal is the better side even without Suzuki. Its last five have all been one-goal games, so a close one is the base case.
Canadiens vs Blackhawks prediction
Montréal is the side we would take, and the price is the catch. The Ontario books had the Canadiens around -145 at the time of writing, in Thursday afternoon’s capture. Suzuki was ruled out the same day. The number may be older than the news, so check it has not moved before you follow us.
The case for Chicago is rest and the goaltending gap. It has had five days off to Montréal’s two and it is 3-2 at home. Montréal’s two goaltenders carry a .900 and a .847 behind a defence that has conceded 34 goals in nine games. Our lean: Montréal, and the over if the total sits at 6 or lower. Four of Montréal’s last five games cleared 6.5 goals, and Chicago’s last five averaged 6.2.
Our NHL power rankings has all 32 in order, and the rest of the weekend’s games is on the NHL schedule.
Puck drop is 8:00pm ET / 7:00pm CT on Friday 23 October 2026 at the United Center in Chicago. TSN2 and RDS carry it in Canada.
No. Montréal ruled him out for two to four weeks on Thursday with a hand injury suffered against San Jose. It is the first game he has missed in his NHL career, ending a run of 546 straight.
He returned on 13 October after summer shoulder surgery and has played Chicago’s last three games, picking up three points. He is not on the injury report.
Montréal leads the all-time series 418 wins to 242 and won both meetings last season, 3-2 in Chicago and 4-1 at the Bell Centre.
Montréal to win 4-3, and the over if the total sits at 6 or lower.
19+ (18+ in AB, MB and QC). Picks are opinion, not advice, and odds change constantly. Availability varies by province. Please play responsibly. ConnexOntario: 1-866-531-2600 for Ontario residents; see your province’s helpline for resources elsewhere.