MONTREAL - The 2019-20 season took one step closer to becoming reality on Tuesday, as the Canadiens and the League released the full regular season schedule for the upcoming NHL campaign.

As has been the custom of late, the Habs will open up the season on the road, playing the Carolina Hurricanes (October 3), Toronto Maple Leafs (October 5), and Buffalo Sabres (October 9) away from the friendly confines of the Bell Centre.

Of course, as was previously announced, Montreal then plays its home opener on Thursday, October 10 against the Detroit Red Wings - the eighth time the Habs will face their Original Six rivals for their first home game of the season.

It won't take long before the Canadiens get to face off against the defending Stanley Cup champions. Just two days after their home opener, the Habs play the St. Louis Blues at the Bell Centre in what's sure to be a Saturday night classic. And exactly one week later, they'll be at the Enterprise Center in Missouri for a rematch with the champs.

Habs fans will get their first look at 2019 first-overall pick Jack Hughes and the New Jersey Devils on Saturday, November 16 at the Bell Centre.

Montreal's journey out to Western Canada takes place right before the Christmas break, with stops in Vancouver (December 17), Calgary (December 19), Edmonton (December 21), and Winnipeg (December 23). After the holidays, the Canadiens head to the Sunshine State to take on the Tampa Bay Lightning (December 28) and Florida Panthers (December 29) before closing out the calendar year with a stop in Carolina on New Year's Eve. Those two stretches mean the Habs will be away from the Bell Centre for seven straight games - their longest road string of the season.

The Habs have 14 back-to-back sets on the docket in 2019-20, which include those Sabres and Red Wings games on October 9-10. Their final back-to-back takes place when they kick off their last three-game stretch of the season with tilts in Chicago (March 31) and Nashville (April 1).

Montreal closes out the 2019-20 season with its fourth and final game against archrival Toronto at Scotiabank Arena on April 4.

To have a look at the full Canadiens 2019-20 season schedule, click here.

Tweet from @PR_NHL: NOTE ON 2019-20 SCHEDULE: While the @CanadiensMTL have moved the start time for their home games to 7:00 p.m., the NHL requested, and the Club agreed, to a 7:30 p.m. start time for 4 games.