Game preview · NHL 2026-27

Nashville Predators at Montréal Canadiens: game preview

Puck drop8 Oct · 7:00 PM ET
VenueCentre Bell
All-time meetings38 completed
BasisLast 5 meetings + 2025-26
The thesis

Twenty points apart last season

Nashville finished last season 23rd in the league on 86 points. Montréal finished 6th on 106, and the 2025-26 season series went MTL 2-0-0.

Game-day prices arrive with the afternoon snapshot, about 4:30 PM ET on the day of the game.

Head-to-head

Meeting number 39

Across 38 completed games, Montréal lead the head-to-head 21-11-6.

All-time record21-11-6Montréal's record in the series
Meetings played38This is number 39
2025-26 seriesMTL 2-0-0
Last 55-0Montréal
DateResultShotsPower playWinner
28 Mar 2026MTL 4 – NSH 132–24MTL 0/2 · NSH 0/3MTL
16 Oct 2025NSH 2 – MTL 3 OT19–30NSH 1/2 · MTL 0/3MTL
6 Apr 2025MTL 2 – NSH 117–37MTL 0/1 · NSH 0/4MTL
5 Dec 2024NSH 0 – MTL 329–30NSH 0/5 · MTL 1/3MTL
5 Mar 2024MTL 4 – NSH 3 OT30–28MTL 0/2 · NSH 0/2MTL
Head-to-head finder

The table on each 2025-26 meeting night

DateNashvilleMontréal
16 Oct 20252-1-2 · 6 pts14th4-1-0 · 8 pts3rd
28 Mar 202634-30-9 · 77 pts20th41-21-10 · 92 pts7th

League rank after that night's games; a longer bar is a higher place. On 16 Oct 2025, Nashville were 14th in the league and Montréal 3rd. By 28 Mar 2026 it was 20th and 7th.


Where the shots come from · last 5 meetings

Nashville out-attempted Montréal 321 to 259

Every attempt from the last meetings, both teams shooting right.

Nashville Predators

321 att · 137 on goal · 7 G · 5.1%
Crease36 att · 1 G
Slot138 att · 5 G
Wing113 att · 1 G
Point30 att · 0 G
Neutral zone4 att · 0 G

Montréal Canadiens

259 att · 139 on goal · 16 G · 11.5%
Crease20 att · 1 G
Slot90 att · 5 G
Wing94 att · 9 G
Point43 att · 0 G
Neutral zone12 att · 1 G
GoalOn goalMissedBlocked

Expected goals

Nashville and Montréal are level on chances, last 10 games

Shot quality both ways: expected goals weigh every unblocked attempt by its chance of scoring. Finishing above zero means more goals than the chances.

NashvilleMontréal
2.50xG for per game2.61
3.14xG against per game3.61
44.3%xG share42.0%
−0.5FinishingGoals minus expected goals+4.2
+0.4GoaltendingExpected goals against minus goals allowed−3.2

This season: 3 games for Nashville, 3 for Montréal. Small sample: early-season xG moves a lot from night to night.

Every team’s xG →


Special teams

Power play and penalty kill, season and series

This season's rates first, then 2025-26 and the last meetings between the two. Power-play chances are counted from the penalty log with coincidental minors cancelled; faceoffs are each club's wins over draws taken.

All bars share one scale · 0–100%SeasonLast meetings

Nashville

Small sample
Power play · 2026-2737.5%
Power play · 2025-2623.1% · 11th
Power play · last 5 meetings1/16 · 6.3%
Penalty kill · 2026-2775.0%
Penalty kill · 2025-2681.7% · 5th
Faceoffs · 2026-2747.6% · 80/168
Drawn · 2026-278 (2.67/gm)
Drawn · last meetings16 (3.20/gm)
Shorthanded · 2026-278 (2.67/gm)
PP goals · last meetings1

Montréal

Small sample
Power play · 2026-2710.0%
Power play · 2025-2623.1% · 10th
Power play · last 5 meetings1/11 · 9.1%
Penalty kill · 2026-2775.0%
Penalty kill · 2025-2678.2% · 18th
Faceoffs · 2026-2753.9% · 96/178
Drawn · 2026-2710 (3.33/gm)
Drawn · last meetings11 (2.20/gm)
Shorthanded · 2026-2712 (4.00/gm)
PP goals · last meetings1

Skaters

Nick Suzuki has 7 points in the last 5 meetings

Each club's top three forwards and defencemen by points this season, with 2025-26 one tap away, then who has produced in the last meetings.

PlayerGPGAPP/GP
91Steven Stamkos33141.33
21Nils Hoglander33031.00
14Nick Suzuki32462.00
22Chris Kreider31341.33
76Zachary Bolduc33031.00
Points leaders
PlayerGPGAPP/GP
59Roman Josi31231.00
76Brady Skjei30110.33
47Jack Ahcan20110.50
48Lane Hutson30441.33
8Mike Matheson30110.33
Defencemen stats

Nick Suzuki vs Nashville · game by game

See all: Nick Suzuki vs Nashville · game by game →
DateVenueGAPSOGTOI
28 Mar 2026away022418:53
16 Oct 2025home011422:54
6 Apr 2025away011018:39
5 Dec 2024home011216:06
5 Mar 2024away112119:37
Last 5 meetings7 P1 G, 6 A · 11 SOG
Next best6 PCole Caufield, MTL
2026-27 season6 P3 GP · 2 G
Blank vs NSH0 of 5A point in every meeting
Full game log

Goaltending

Jakub Dobes has been the difference

Jakub Dobes faced 56 shots across 2 appearances against Nashville and conceded 3, a .946 save percentage against a season figure of .857. Starters are confirmed on game day.

Expected startersAn estimate until the teams confirmEvery game tonight →
Expected starter#74 Juuse Saros
  • Started 3 of 3 this season
  • 59 of the team's last 82 starts

2026-27: 3 GP · .907 SV% · GSAx +0

Injured: Annunen (injured reserve)

Expected starter#75 Jakub Dobes
  • Started 3 of 3 this season
  • 44 of the team's last 82 starts

2026-27: 3 GP · .857 SV% · GSAx −3

Also possible: Montembeault 23%

NSH · 1-1-1 in 2026-27 Expected starter · 100%

SV% · 2026-27.9073 GP · 2.95 GAA · 2025-26 .894
vs Montréal.8814 app · 109 SA · 13 GA
GSAx · 2026-27+0.43 starts · most on the roster
vs MTLVenueSAGASV%
28 Mar 2026home324.875
16 Oct 2025away303.900
6 Apr 2025home172.882
5 Mar 2024home304.867
Full game log

MTL · 1-1-1 in 2026-27 Expected starter · 77%

SV% · 2026-27.8573 GP · 4.43 GAA · 2025-26 .901
vs Nashville.9462 app · 56 SA · 3 GA
GSAx · 2026-27−3.03 starts · most on the roster
vs NSHVenueSAGASV%
16 Oct 2025home192.895
6 Apr 2025away371.973
Full game log

Totals

Scoring rates point to about 6.5 goals

No total is posted yet: it arrives with the game-day prices. Until then, the scoring rates and the recent meetings set the range.

Goals in the last 5 meetings

28 Mar 20265 · MTL 4–1 NSH
16 Oct 20255 · NSH 2–3 MTL
6 Apr 20253 · MTL 2–1 NSH
5 Dec 20243 · NSH 0–3 MTL
5 Mar 20247 · MTL 4–3 NSH

Bar length is total goals, coloured by the winner.

Scoring rates

Team26-27 GF26-27 GA25-26 GF25-26 GA
Nashville2.333.003.013.28
Montréal4.004.673.453.12

Goals for and against per game. The estimate averages each team’s scoring with the other’s goals allowed, and leans on 2025-26 until a team has played 20 games.

Scoring rates suggest6.5Goals in this game
Last 5 meetings4.6Goals per game
Line—No total posted yet
Books at the line—With the game-day prices

Team news

6 on the injury lists

Nashville · injuries

Justus AnnunenUndisclosedIRReturn13 Oct

Montréal · injuries

Bryce PickfordUndisclosedIRReturn17 Oct
Ivan DemidovLower BodyIRReturn31 Oct
Kaiden GuhleGroinIRReturn20 Oct
Lucas CondottaUndisclosedIRReturn10 Oct
Oliver KapanenLower BodyOutReturn8 Oct
6 Oct · NSH

Recalled G Matt Murray from Milwaukee (AHL). Placed G Justus Annunen on injured reserve.

4 Oct · NSH

Recalled LW Yegor Pinchuk from Milwaukee (AHL). Assigned G Matt Murray to Milwaukee.

3 Oct · NSH

Recalled G Matthew Murray from Milwaukee (AHL).

27 Sep · MTL

Placed D Reilly Walsh, D Maksymilian Szuber, D Ethan Samson, C Sam Poulin, RW Sasha Pastujov, C Hunter McKown, G Kaapo Kähkönen, LW Brett Berard, and RW Alex Belzile on waivers for the purpose of loaning them to Laval (AHL).

12 Sep · MTL

Signed F Chris Kreider to a one-year contract.

9 Aug 2026 · MTL

Loaned F Vinzenz Rohrer to EV Zug (Switzerland).

Injury report
#10Wyatt CullenRound 1 · Usa U-18LW
#31Thomas BleylRound 1 · MonctonD
#70Dmitri BorichevRound 3 · Loko-76 YaroslavlG
#106Jakub FlorisRound 4 · Lukko Jr.D
Full draft
#26Gleb PugachyovRound 1 · Nizhny Novgorod Jr.RW
#57Timofei RuntsoRound 2 · VictoriaD
#93Cooper CleavesRound 3 · DartmouthD
#117Brayden KlimpkeRound 4 · SaskatoonD
Full draft

Updated after every final