Montreal Canadiens at Chicago Blackhawks | Friday, October 23, 2026 | 7:00 PM CT / 8:00 PM ET | United Center, Chicago | CHSN, NHL Network
I picked the Stars to beat us last Saturday, 3-2. They won 4-0, so I had the winner and nothing else. The Hawks have been idle since, which is a rare gift this early in the season, and Montreal shows up on the first night of a four-game road trip without its captain.
Let me be honest about how these teams look on paper: both are in the bottom three in goals against. This could be a good game or an ugly one, and for the Hawks, ugly is fine as long as the number on the right side is higher.
Game Info: Canadiens at Blackhawks
- Date: Friday, October 23, 2026
- Puck drop: 7:00 PM CT / 8:00 PM ET
- Venue: United Center, Chicago
- TV: CHSN and NHL Network in the U.S.; TSN2 and RDS in Canada
- Records: Blackhawks 3-6-0 (6 points); Canadiens 4-3-2 (10 points)
- Odds: I couldn’t find a sportsbook line. One model gave Montreal 58% and Chicago 42%, and the Kalshi market had Montreal at about 63%. The same model projected about 6.3 goals, so a high-scoring game is the base case
Where the Hawks Are
Chicago started 1-5-0 without Connor Bedard and is 2-1-0 since he returned: a 5-3 win over Pittsburgh, a 4-3 overtime win over Winnipeg and Saturday’s 4-0 loss to Dallas. That last game was a lot like the others. Dallas outshot Chicago 24-12 after 40 minutes, Chicago’s two power plays died within 41 and 61 seconds because of penalties, and Spencer Knight was credited with playing well and deserving better. He stopped 28 of 32 shots in his fourth straight start.
The numbers are not kind. Chicago has scored 21 goals and allowed 36, ranks 31st in shots per game (21.4) and 30th in expected-goal share (39.6%). The Hawks’ power play is 28th at 8.3%.
- Bedard is the captain and returned on Oct. 13 from shoulder surgery. He won nine of 22 faceoffs against Dallas.
- Bowen Byram (upper body) is day-to-day and has missed two games. He is not in the concussion protocol. One source lists him as expected back Friday, but I couldn’t confirm.
- Andrew Mangiapane is on injured reserve, with a possible return date of Friday on one report.
- Frank Nazar is back from suspension, and Anton Frondell leads the team with six points.
The projected lines were Kantserov-Bedard-Kane, Bertuzzi-Frondell-Teravainen, Moore-Nazar-Donato and C. Smith-Greene-Greenway, with the defense paired as Vlasic-Cole, Kaiser-Levshunov and Del Mastro-Rinzel. Check for Byram.
The Canadiens: Good Process, Bad Results Without Their Captain
Montreal reached the Eastern Conference Final last season and swept the 2025-26 series with Chicago, outscoring the Hawks 7-3 over two games. This year’s team is 4-3-2 and coming off a 4-3 overtime loss to San Jose on Tuesday.
- Nick Suzuki is out with an upper-body injury, expected to miss 2-4 weeks. He leads Montreal with 12 points in nine games, and this ends his streak of 546 straight games played. Oliver Kapanen moves up to center Cole Caufield and Juraj Slafkovsky.
- Cole Caufield has six goals.
- Goaltending: Sam Montembeault is on injured reserve. Jakub Dobes has a .847 save percentage and a 4.47 GAA through five starts, and Jacob Fowler is the other option. I don’t know who starts.
- Defense: Lane Hutson and Noah Dobson are on the top pair in the projected lineup. Mike Matheson was day-to-day and expected back around Friday.
- Numbers: Montreal ranks 9th in expected-goal share (54.2%) but 29th in goals against (3.78), and its power play is 29th at 6.9%.
Montreal’s own problem is clear: a team that creates chances but can’t finish or defend. Caufield said they gave up the winner against San Jose on “stupid penalties,” and the power play allowed both the tying and winning goals.
The Matchups I’m Watching
Dobes against the Hawks’ shot volume. Chicago is 31st in shots per game, which hurts. But a goalie with a .847 save percentage doesn’t need many shots to be beaten. This is the clearest edge I can find.
Knight against Montreal’s chances. Montreal ranks 10th in shots per game (29.7) and sixth in offensive-zone time. Knight has a .888 save percentage this season, so he’ll need to be better.
Special teams. Both power plays are in the bottom five, and both penalty kills are below the league middle (Montreal 22nd at 78.4%, Chicago 24th at 77.8%). Whoever scores on the power play first might decide it.
Discipline. Penalties killed Chicago’s power plays against Dallas and cost Montreal against San Jose. Stay out of the box.
Hutson against Chicago’s forecheck. Hutson and Dobson anchor Montreal’s top pair, and the Hawks’ forecheck will need to make them uncomfortable.
What Actually Decides Tonight
The market likes Montreal, and the underlying numbers back it up. But the Canadiens are without their captain on the first night of a road trip, they have a shaky goalie situation and the Hawks have had a full week to rest and fix their issues.
I want to pick my team, and I think there’s a real path: the Hawks get to Dobes early, the power play finally converts and Knight keeps it close. If Chicago doesn’t score first, I don’t love the odds. I’ll go with the Hawks in a one-goal game.
My Final Score Prediction: Chicago Blackhawks 4, Montreal Canadiens 3
Let´s go for the win!
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