Canadiens vs. Senators 2017 live stream: Time, TV channel, and how to watch NHL 100 Classic online

The NHL’s centennial celebration continues Saturday with the NHL 100 Classic, an outdoor matchup between the Ottawa Senators and Montreal Canadiens at TD Place Stadium in Ottawa. The action begins at 7 p.m. ET and will be broadcast nationally in the United States on NBCSN.

The first outdoor game of the 2017-18 season also helps celebrate the history of the sport. The league chose Senators-Canadiens as the matchup in honor of one of the first two games in NHL history on Dec. 19, 1917. On that day, the original Senators faced the Canadiens, while the Montreal Wanderers faced the Toronto Arenas.

”To launch our next 100 years, we believe it is only right to bring the Canadiens and the Senators back together,” commissioner Gary Bettman said when the NHL 100 Classic was first announced in March.

The history will definitely be the main selling point of a game that’s otherwise between two middling Eastern Conference foes.

The Senators have just two wins in their past 14 games dating back to mid-November. That brutal stretch has coincided with a slump from superstar defenseman Erik Karlsson, who has two points and a minus-18 rating over the past 14 games. Amid that stretch, Karlsson also publicly discussed his 2019 free agency, which led the Senators to request his no-trade list.

So things aren’t going particularly well for Ottawa right now.

The Canadiens have been having a better time of late with a 6-2-1 record over their past nine games. Carey Price has returned to form after an ugly start to the season, and the offense has shown signs of life other than a rough recent stretch against Western Conference opponents.

If anything, the most interesting aspect of the game itself may be the outdoor factor. The predicted temperature at puck drop on Saturday is three degrees Fahrenheit, or minus-16 degrees Celsius. That’s going to be brutal, and The Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun says there are no plans to postpone the game despite that forecast.

NHL and NHLPA officials will meet before the game to determine if playing conditions are acceptable. It’s worth remembering the 2011 Heritage Classic, where the Flames and Canadiens played in an estimated temperature of 14 degrees Fahrenheit, which then-Calgary forward Curtis Glencross called “brutal.”

So things could get weird Saturday evening if the forecast is right and the temperature is near zero degrees Fahrenheit at puck drop, which would likely mean even colder temperatures as the game goes on. If you’re planning to attend, make sure to bundle up.

Time: 7 p.m. ET

Location: TD Place Stadium, Ottawa

TV: NBCSN (U.S.); Sportsnet, CBC, TVA Sports (Canada)

Live stream: NBC Sports Live