Fresh off a 7-1 win in Buffalo, the undefeated home team will be going for their ninth straight win to start the season.
The number 9 is not without significance in Montreal hockey history.
• The great Maurice Richard was the 23rd – and last – Canadien to wear the number 9 on his jersey.
• The dynastic clubs of the 1950s and ’70s won a total of nine straight Stanley Cups: five by the former, four by the latter.
• Max Pacioretty, Tomas Plekanec and Andrei Markov each have nine points to lead the Canadiens in early-season scoring.