Your Week in NHL Hockey, November 20-26: Thanksgiving Day Hockey

MONTREAL, QC – NOVEMBER 15: Look on Montreal Canadiens Goalie Carey Price (31) during the Florida Panthers versus the Montreal Canadiens game on November 15, 2016 at Bell Centre in Montreal, QC (Photo by David Kirouac/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Thursday, November 24

Nationally televised in the United States and Canada

Carolina Hurricanes at Montréal Canadiens (7:30 p.m. ET, NHL Network and Fox Sports Carolinas; Sportsnet 360 and RDS in Canada)

Locally televised in the United States and televised in Canada

Boston Bruins at Ottawa Senators (7:30 p.m. ET, NESN; RDS2 and TSN5 in Canada)

Best bets: Dealer’s choice, if football isn’t your speed

It looks like the NHL is trying to make Thanksgiving hockey a thing. In a year where the NFL’s ratings are down, it might actually succeed a little more than usual. However, Hurricanes-Canadiens is compelling because you get to watch the Canadiens, who haven’t lost much at all this season. Unfortunately, the Hurricanes haven’t notched as many wins. Now, the ‘Canes could pull out a surprise win, but the Canadiens basically don’t lose at home.

(We may just have jinxed the Habs. Sorry, fans. Maybe that makes it more watchable?)

Look in on Bruins-Senators for Atlantic Division implications, but the Canadiens and Lightning both look relatively strong this year, and it might be hard for either Boston or Ottawa to break in with another strong year from the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference.