The Montreal Canadiens (29-17-7) will be hosting the league-leading Colorado Avalanche (35-7-9) tonight at the Bell Centre in what will feel like another throwback game. The Avalanche will wear their Quebec Nordiques jerseys tonight to recreate the old Battle of Quebec Rivalry for just one night. They also wore their Nordiques sweaters in the last meeting with the Canadiens, back in November in Colorado, where the Avalanche defeated the Habs in a 7-2 victory. Tonight will see the 2nd and final meeting between these two teams during the Avalanche’s 30th year of being a Franchise which is why they are using the Nordiques jerseys in the first place as they want to honour the years before Colorado came about.
Team rosters and stats ahead of tonight’s game between the Canadiens and Colorado Avalanche (wearing Quebec Nordiques sweaters) at the Bell Centre (7 p.m., TSN2, RDS). Jakub Dobes will start in goal for #Habs: pic.twitter.com/8brWT203yz
— Stu Cowan (@StuCowan1) January 29, 2026
The Habs will be looking to get revenge for the November thrashing in tonight’s matchup, as they come in feeling good about themselves after an emotional 3-2 overtime win over the Vegas Golden Knights on Tuesday night. Meanwhile, the Avalanche are heading into tonight on the 2nd half of a back-to-back. On Wednesday night, the Avalanche lost 5-2 for just their 7th regulation loss of the season against the Ottawa Senators. It was a rare game where the Avalanche got outplayed, and therefore they should be hungry to bounce back against a Habs team that will be equally hungry to prove they can compete with the best teams.
The Canadiens announced on Wednesday after firing Eric Raymond that Jakub Dobes will get the start for the 2nd straight game, after the best goaltending performance by a Habs netminder in the last 2 weeks. Dobes made 32 saves on 34 shots in the Habs’ OT victory, standing on his head late to make sure that they could finish the job in extra time. The Habs netminder has also now won 4 straight starts and will be hoping to extend that streak against a high-powered Avalanche offence.
Canadiens Starting Goalie: Jakub Dobes https://t.co/IgGXBhEZd5
— LinesLinesLines (@CcCMiddleton) January 29, 2026
It won’t be easy to get, but Dobes can come up big when needed, as he manages to always do just enough to get the Habs a win. Unfortunately, his last start against the Avalanche was that nightmare matchup where the red-hot Avs scored 7 goals on 36 shots. On the other hand, the Avalanche have cooled down a lot lately, which is why the Dobes and the Canadiens have a much better chance at winning than they did that night. They will still be the underdog but less so by being on home ice.
Dobes’ competition in goal tonight will likely be Scott Wedgewood, after Mackenzie Blackwood played on Wednesday night. Wedgewood has been on fire this season with a 20-3-5 record, while supporting a .918 save percentage and an amazing 2.14 GAA. With that being said, he doesn’t allow many goals, which could mean that the Habs may have trouble getting to him, but at the same time, the Habs may have a proper game plan to exploit his weaknesses considering how good he’s been this season. In his only career start against the Habs, Wedgewood allowed 4 goals on 18 shots in a 4-3 loss with the Dallas Stars back in 2024. Will the Habs be able to beat him tonight, or will Wedgewood continue his dominance in the league in tonight’s game?
The Under 6.5 goals for tonight seems like a smart bet. First off, the Avalanche will be a little tired from Wednesday night’s game, which could mean that they get fewer opportunities as a result. Secondly, both Wedgewood and Dobes have been playing relatively good hockey, which should make for a low-scoring matchup. The Habs are listed as +105 home underdogs, as despite facing a team that is on a back-to-back, it is still the Avalanche who have been a dominant force this season. In fact, +105 is giving a lot of respect from oddsmakers, as this game really feels that the Avalanche would still be massive favourites after the previous matchup.
Cole Caufield is currently on a six-game goal streak. 🔥
Will he find the back of the net again tonight against the Avalanche? 🤔 pic.twitter.com/sHc2Dsxget
— theScore Bet (@theScoreBet) January 29, 2026
Will Cole Caufield continue to find the back of the net? Caufield is riding a 6-game goal streak, where he has managed to score 9 goals in that span. His odds to extend his streak are listed at +140 tonight.
It’s clear that tonight will be as hard of a test as they come for the Canadiens; however, as shown by the Senators last night, the Avalanche are beatable. Of course, one key factor in their victory was that they took no penalties, and with how things go for the Habs, it seems unlikely that will occur for them.
🥅GUESS THE SCORE🥅
Comment what you think the final score in the #GoHabsGo vs Avalanche game will be tonight!
Guess it correctly and have chance to win a prize from La Bittt a Tibi.#thesickpodcast@TonyMarinaro pic.twitter.com/MVuXE3Wzbl
— The Sick Podcast with Tony Marinaro (@thesickpodcasts) January 29, 2026
Do you think the Canadiens will surprise the Avalanche and come out with a win tonight?