Montreal has played more games and has more of them in the win column at 4-3-1, but the margins are thin. Its last 3 wins were 1-0 over Detroit and 4-3 over Buffalo twice, the second of those in overtime. The Canadiens also have a game before this one: they host San Jose first, and that result will change the form picture before they get to Chicago.
Montreal's injury list matters more. Ivan Demidov has been on injured reserve since early October with a lower-body injury, which takes a lot of skill off the right side. Sam Montembeault is also on IR, so the net is in younger hands. Jacob Fowler, 21, made his season debut against Nashville. Montreal hasn't named a starter for Friday, and with a game against the Sharks first, it shouldn't be assumed. Florian Xhekaj (lower body) is on IR and was expected to miss about 2 weeks, and Mike Matheson is day-to-day.
There's still good news for Montreal. Kaiden Guhle returned from summer surgery on October 10, and Oliver Kapanen and David Reinbacher made their season debuts in the first Sabres win. The lineup is getting healthier from the back end out even with Demidov sidelined. Winning 1-goal games against Detroit and Buffalo can mean a team handles tight finishes well, or it can mean a team got lucky. A Chicago team that just got its captain back will test which one this is.
Puck drop is 7:00 PM CT. The thing to watch is how Bedard's line does against a Montreal defense that's still filling in around injuries. A small sample with Bedard has been encouraging and a small sample without him was rough. Friday adds 1 more game to the version of Chicago that actually matters.