Montreal Canadiens forward Joe Veleno is poised for a highly personal showdown on Thursday night. After being traded twice in a matter of months, Veleno finally gets his chance to face the Chicago Blackhawks, the team that dealt him away this past summer, with a clear mission: to show them exactly what they let go.
A Forward Fueled by Motivation
Joe Veleno did not hide his feelings ahead of the clash with the Chicago Blackhawks at the Bell Centre. "It's more of a revenge game for me," Veleno stated candidly following an optional practice in Brossard. The 24-year-old forward was a surprise healthy scratch when the Canadiens visited Chicago on October 11, denying him an earlier opportunity. Now, with the Blackhawks coming to Montreal, the stage is set.
Veleno's journey has been a whirlwind. After a March 7 trade from Detroit last season, he played only 18 games for Chicago before being shipped to Seattle on June 21. The Kraken promptly bought out his contract, making him a free agent and allowing his hometown Canadiens to sign him on July 16. Despite the brief stint, Veleno felt he was finding his groove with the Blackhawks. "I thought my time there, I was actually finding my game again," he reflected. "For the ice time I was given... I thought production-wise, it was pretty good. I was obviously very unhappy to be traded in the summer."
His objective for Thursday is unequivocal: "I want to put my best foot forward and show them what they missed out on." He anticipates "an extra edge" in his performance when the puck drops at 7 p.m.
Canadiens Seek Consistency Amid Home Struggles
The Canadiens could certainly harness any extra motivation Veleno provides. The team is mired in a pattern of inconsistency during the 2024-25 season. This was exemplified this week: after delivering what coach Martin St. Louis called their "best game to date" in a dominant 4-1 win over Edmonton on Sunday, they faltered with a 4-1 loss to the Philadelphia Flyers on Tuesday.
Familiar issues resurfaced in the defeat, including defensive lapses that led to two-on-one goals and a moment of indecision from rookie goaltender Jacob Fowler on the Flyers' third goal. "It's definitely a hard league to win in," Veleno acknowledged. "It's hard to repeat those [performances]. I thought our game overall the last two games has been pretty solid, but we've just got to find a way."
A significant and puzzling problem for Montreal has been their play at the Bell Centre. While sporting a respectable 9-3-3 record on the road, they have stumbled to an 8-9-1 mark at home, a far cry from the 23-12-6 home-ice record that propelled them to the playoffs last season. Assistant coach Stéphane Robidas admitted the team has been "much better on the road" but lacks a definitive answer for the home struggles, noting that costly second-period lapses have repeatedly tilted games.
Blackhawks Arrive Battered and Slumping
The visiting Blackhawks (13-14-6) present a potential opportunity for the Habs to right their home ship. Chicago arrives on a three-game losing streak, including a 3-2 loss in Toronto on Tuesday where they surrendered three third-period goals. More critically, they will be without their superstar centre and leading scorer, Connor Bedard, who is sidelined with a shoulder injury. Bedard has tallied 19 goals and 44 points in just 31 games this season.
The Canadiens will also be without a key piece, as defenceman Mike Matheson is day-to-day with an upper-body injury. The match kicks off another condensed stretch of three games in four days, a scheduling challenge exacerbated by the upcoming three-week Olympic break in February.
For Joe Veleno, however, the focus cuts through the schedule grind and the team's broader challenges. Thursday night is about personal vindication on the cold ice of the Bell Centre, a chance to make a statement against the organization that decided he was expendable.
