Our Nashville Predators vs Montreal Canadiens preview covers the odds, puck line, total, start time, TV channel and where to watch on Thursday, October 8, 2026. The Nashville Predators (1-1-1 this season; 38-34-10 in 2025-26) visit the Montreal Canadiens (1-1-1 this season; 48-24-10 in 2025-26) at Bell Centre in Montreal, Que. Puck drop is 7:00 PM ET (7:00 PM local). TV: SCRIPPS / TSN2 / RDS.
Storyline: Nashville plays the second game of a three-game road trip after a 5-4 overtime loss at Toronto on Tuesday, when Steven Stamkos and Nils Hoglander each scored twice and Auston Matthews won it at 4:46 of overtime. Montreal is 1-1-1 after a 6-4 loss to Carolina in its home opener, and forward Ivan Demidov went on injured reserve Tuesday. Montreal won both meetings last season (NHL.com). DraftKings lists Montreal at -185 and Nashville at +154 on the moneyline, with the total at 6.5.
Nashville Predators vs Montreal Canadiens Odds, Puck Line & Game Info
| Matchup | Nashville Predators @ Montreal Canadiens |
|---|---|
| 2026-27 Records | Nashville Predators 1-1-1 | Montreal Canadiens 1-1-1 |
| 2025-26 Records | Nashville Predators 38-34-10 | Montreal Canadiens 48-24-10 |
| Head Coaches | NSH: Andrew Brunette (4th season) | MTL: Martin St. Louis (6th season) |
| Puck Line | NSH +1.5 (-162) | MTL -1.5 (+136) |
| Moneyline | Nashville Predators: +154 | Montreal Canadiens: -185 |
| Total | O/U 6.5 (o+110 / u-130) |
| Venue | Bell Centre (Montreal, Que.) |
| Date / Time | Thursday, October 8, 2026 — 7:00 PM ET |
| TV / How to Watch | SCRIPPS / TSN2 / RDS |
| Probable Starting Goalies | NSH: Juuse Saros (listed as confirmed by ESPN) | MTL: TBD (Jakub Dobes / Samuel Montembeault, day to day) |
Odds via DraftKings (through ESPN), cross-checked on Action Network, as of Wednesday, Oct. 7, 2026, ~6:19 PM ET. Totals ranged from 6 to 6.5 across books at research time. Lines move, so check your sportsbook before puck drop. ESPN lists Juuse Saros as Nashville’s confirmed starter; Montreal had not confirmed a starter at research time.
Nashville Predators Preview: Stamkos and Hoglander Carry the Scoring
2025-26 recap: Nashville went 38-34-10 (86 points), finished sixth in the Central Division and missed the playoffs. Filip Forsberg led the team with 75 points (40 goals, 35 assists), Ryan O’Reilly had 74 points and Stamkos scored a team-high 42 goals, 14 of them on the power play. Roman Josi had 55 points in 68 games (NHL.com).
Offseason moves: Nashville acquired forward Mavrik Bourque (20 goals, 41 points last season) and defenseman Ilya Lyubushkin from Dallas. Forwards Hoglander (Vancouver), Alexander Kerfoot (Utah), Ross Colton and Jack Drury (both Colorado) and Adam Edstrom (Rangers) also joined, along with Vitali Pinchuk, who had 66 points for Dinamo Minsk of the KHL. Luke Evangelista (56 points) now plays for New Jersey and Erik Haula for Los Angeles (NHL.com).
Key players & coach: Forsberg, Stamkos, O’Reilly, Jonathan Marchessault, Matthew Wood, Bourque, Hoglander and Kerfoot lead the forwards. Josi, Brady Skjei, Nicolas Hague, Nick Perbix, Lyubushkin and Adam Wilsby are on defense. Andrew Brunette is in his fourth season as coach.
Goalies: Juuse Saros went 28-22-8 with a 3.16 GAA and .894 save percentage in 59 games last season. He has started all three games, making 27 saves on 30 shots against Minnesota, 29 saves on 30 shots against Dallas and 32 saves on 37 shots at Toronto. Justus Annunen, who went 10-12-2 with a 2.68 GAA in 28 games last season, is on injured reserve, and Matt Murray is the other goalie on the roster. ESPN lists Saros as the confirmed starter.
Season so far: Minnesota won 3-1 at Bridgestone Arena on Oct. 1, and Saros made 29 saves in a 2-1 win over Dallas on Oct. 3, when Stamkos and Hoglander scored on the power play. At Toronto on Tuesday, Nashville led 3-0 and 4-2 behind two goals each from Stamkos and Hoglander, but Gavin McKenna and Jack Roslovic scored to tie it before Matthews won it. Stamkos and Hoglander have three goals each (NHL.com).
Injuries: Annunen (undisclosed) is on injured reserve. ESPN lists no other Nashville injuries at research time.
Montreal Canadiens Preview: Back Home Without Demidov
2025-26 recap: Montreal went 48-24-10 (106 points), finished third in the Atlantic Division and reached the Eastern Conference Final, beating Tampa Bay and Buffalo in seven games each before losing to Carolina (NHL.com). Captain Nick Suzuki had 101 points (29 goals, 72 assists), Cole Caufield scored 51 goals, Lane Hutson had 78 points from the blue line, Juraj Slafkovsky had 30 goals and Demidov had 62 points.
Offseason moves: Montreal added forward Chris Kreider, who had 22 goals and 50 points for Anaheim last season. Brendan Gallagher now plays for Vancouver, and goalie Jacob Fowler, who went 9-6-2 with a .908 save percentage in 17 games last season, is not on the NHL roster (NHL.com).
Key players & coach: Suzuki, Caufield, Slafkovsky, Kreider, Kirby Dach, Josh Anderson, Alex Newhook, Zachary Bolduc, Alexandre Texier and Phillip Danault lead the forwards. Hutson, Noah Dobson, Mike Matheson, Alexandre Carrier and Arber Xhekaj are on defense. Martin St. Louis is in his sixth season as coach.
Goalies: Jakub Dobes went 29-10-4 with a 2.78 GAA and .901 save percentage in 43 games last season. He has started all three games, making 26 saves on 28 shots at Toronto, 24 saves on 30 shots at Pittsburgh and 27 saves on 32 shots against Carolina. Samuel Montembeault, who went 10-8-4 with a 3.43 GAA in 25 games last season, was hurt at Wednesday’s practice and is listed as day to day (ESPN). Montreal had not confirmed a starter at research time.
Season so far: Anderson, Bolduc and Carrier scored in a 3-2 win at Toronto on Sept. 29. At Pittsburgh on Oct. 3, Montreal rallied from 5-1 down to force overtime before Tommy Novak won it at 1:33. In Tuesday’s home opener, Bolduc scored twice, once on the power play, and Suzuki and Slafkovsky also scored, but Carolina won 6-4 and outshot Montreal 33-20. Suzuki has six points in three games (NHL.com).
Injuries: Demidov (lower body) was placed on injured reserve Tuesday. Defenseman Kaiden Guhle (groin surgery) is on injured reserve, though St. Louis said Monday he is getting close to playing, per the Montreal Gazette. Montembeault (undisclosed) and forward Oliver Kapanen (lower body) are day to day (ESPN).
Key Matchup Notes: Predators vs Canadiens
- Schedule spot: Both teams last played Tuesday. Nashville visits Ottawa on Saturday, and Montreal hosts Detroit on Saturday.
- Last season: Montreal won both meetings, 3-2 in overtime at home on Oct. 16, 2025, and 4-1 at Nashville on March 28 (NHL.com).
- Special teams: Nashville is converting 37.5 percent of its power plays, and Stamkos has two power-play goals. Montreal is at 10 percent on the power play, and both teams have killed 75 percent of penalties.
- Scoring: Nashville has seven goals in three games, six of them from Stamkos and Hoglander. Montreal has 12 goals in three games and has allowed 14.
- In goal: Saros has a .907 save percentage in three starts. Dobes has an .856 save percentage in three starts.
- Odds snapshot: Montreal -185 / Nashville +154 on the moneyline, Canadiens -1.5 (+136) on the puck line, total 6.5 (DraftKings).
How to Watch Nashville Predators vs Montreal Canadiens
Date: Thursday, October 8, 2026
Puck drop: 7:00 PM ET (7:00 PM local)
Venue: Bell Centre, Montreal, Que.
TV: In the U.S., Scripps Sports (SCRIPPS) carries the game in the Predators’ market (NHL.com), and ESPN also lists ESPN+ streaming. In Canada, TSN2 and RDS (French) carry it in the Canadiens’ region (NHL.com). No U.S. national TV broadcast is listed at research time.
Check the puck line, moneyline and total above against your sportsbook before the October 8, 2026 puck drop, and look for confirmed starting goalies closer to game time.