Nashville Predators vs Montréal Canadiens Final — October 8, 2026
NSHStarting goaliesMTL
NSHOffenseFull 2025-26 regular season (last season)MTLNSHDefenseMTLNSHTeamMTLNSH5-on-5MTLNSHSpecial teamsMTLNSHRecent formMTLNSHHome and roadseason to dateMTLInjuries & restkey injuries · rest and travel
NSHRest & travelMTLNSHKey injuriesMTLAbout these numbers
Goalie status from the G&W goalie tracker (Confirmed, Expected, Likely or Not confirmed); teams confirm starters close to puck drop. Season lines come from the NHL Lab goalie tables. GSAx = goals saved above expected (Gridiron & Wine expected goals). HD Sv% = save rate on high-danger shots.
Full 2025-26 regular season (last season), captured before kickoff. League rank in small type (32 teams); the gold side ranks higher. Bars show rank, longest = 1st. Source: Gridiron & Wine public Analytics tables.
2025-26 regular season, public NHL Lab tables; ranks out of 32 teams. Expected goals are Gridiron & Wine's own expected-goals numbers.
2025-26 regular season. Rates are per 60 minutes of power-play or penalty-kill time.
Regular-season results this season, oldest to newest (OTL = overtime or shootout loss). Records are season to date, with home and road splits. Over–under uses the consensus closing total.
Distance is straight-line from each team's home arena; time-zone change is at game time. Rest counts days since each team's previous game.
No key players listed.
Key players only. Injury report as of October 8, 6:40 p.m. ET.
The pre-game matchup
The Predators (1-1-1) visited the Canadiens (1-1-1) on Thursday, October 8 at 7:10 PM ET.
Last season (2025-26), the Predators scored 3.01 goals per game (21st of 32) and allowed 3.28 (25th). The Canadiens scored 3.45 goals per game (6th of 32) and allowed 3.12 (18th). The Predators earned 52.4% of available standings points (22nd) and the Canadiens 64.6% (5th).
Expected-goals share (5-on-5), the share of 5-on-5 expected goals created: Predators 48.5% (22nd), Canadiens 48.8% (20th). Shot-attempt share (5-on-5), the share of all 5-on-5 shot attempts: Predators 50.1% (14th), Canadiens 48.6% (23rd). High-danger chance share, the share of 5-on-5 high-danger chances: Predators 49.0% (16th), Canadiens 46.4% (24th). These are last season's full-season numbers because the new season's sample is still small; rosters change over the offseason.
The total closed 6.5, unchanged from the open. After removing the vig, the closing moneyline (Predators +135, Canadiens -164) prices the Predators at 41% and the Canadiens at 59%.
Written from the numbers available before kickoff.
Result
Final score and result vs the closing line
Nashville Predators 5, Montréal Canadiens 2
Nashville Predators won by 3.
- Against the closing spread (Montréal Canadiens -1.5): Nashville Predators covered.
- Combined score 7 vs the closing total of 6.5: Over.
- Nashville Predators closed at +135 on the moneyline (a 41% no-vig market-implied chance).
Actual result
Montréal Canadiens 2
Before the game: market and G&W
From open to close the market moved 4 points toward Nashville Predators.
Market numbers are the consensus moneyline with the bookmaker margin removed.
Win probability
Each team's chance of winning through the game, starting from the market's closing price (Nashville Predators 41%, Montréal Canadiens 59%) and moving with every goal, penalty and the clock until the final.
Biggest swings
- 2nd 3:12 — Montréal Canadiens goal (0-1)Montréal Canadiens 58% → 75% (+18 pts)
- 2nd 19:28 — Nashville Predators goal (2-2)Nashville Predators 22% → 46% (+25 pts)
- 3rd 16:44 — Nashville Predators goal (3-2)Nashville Predators 50% → 91% (+41 pts)
Nashville Predators won after falling as low as 9% (2nd 15:06).
Chance Quality Result
Based on the quality of chances each team created, Montréal Canadiens won 69% of G&W replays (Nashville Predators 31%). The result went the other way from the chances each team created.
The Chance Quality Result describes the chances each team created. It is not the official result and never changes it or any record. Expected goals count regulation chances with both goalies in net; empty-net goals are not included. Season xG tables count every game state, empty nets included, so their totals differ.
Game DNA
The Chance Quality Result above favoured Montréal Canadiens. Here is where that came from.
| Predators | Goals | Canadiens |
|---|---|---|
| 0.9 | 5-on-5 chancesexpected goals | 3.5 |
| 1.5 | Power-play chancesexpected goals | 0.2 |
| 0.0 | Other situations4-on-4, 3-on-3, short-handed | 0.2 |
| 2.4 | Chance Quality Result chancesthe three rows above, as in the result | 3.9 |
| 0.0 | Overtime and pulled-goalie chancesnot part of the Chance Quality Result | 0.1 |
| 0.5 | Second chancesrebounds and flurries, part of the above | 0.6 |
| +0.7 | Finishinggoals vs expected on own shots | -2.0 |
| +2.0 | Goaltendingsaves vs expected · Juuse Saros 32/34 · Jacob Fowler 15/18 | -0.7 |
| 2 | Empty-net goals | 0 |
How the margin was built, from Nashville Predators's side:
The first three rows add up to the Chance Quality Result's expected goals. Overtime chances and chances with a goalie pulled are listed on their own, and empty-net goals are not in expected goals. A team's finishing and the other team's goaltending are the same goals seen from each end.
Line review
Montréal Canadiens closed as the market favourite at 59% and lost.
The line moved toward Nashville Predators before puck drop, and they won.
Market
Closing line and line movement
Predators +1.5 (-149)
Predators +1.5 (-188)
Canadiens -199 64%
Canadiens -164 59%
Consensus of US sportsbooks. Open = first line after both teams' previous games; Close = consensus at kickoff. Percentages are the moneyline's no-vig market-implied chances.
Members
G&W Line
G&W’s own number for this game, next to the market. Analytics
Matchup
Head-to-head
The teams have met 13 times since 2018-19: the Predators won 6 and the Canadiens 7.
| Date | Score | Line | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 28, 2026 | Canadiens 4, Predators 1 Canadiens won | ||
| Oct 16, 2025 | Predators 2, Canadiens 3 OT Canadiens won | Canadiens -142 favorite won | 5.5 under |
| Apr 6, 2025 | Canadiens 2, Predators 1 Canadiens won | 6 under | |
| Dec 5, 2024 | Predators 0, Canadiens 3 Canadiens won | Predators -130 underdog won | 6 under |
| Mar 5, 2024 | Canadiens 4, Predators 3 OT Canadiens won | Predators -225 underdog won | 6 over |
Regular-season meetings since 2018-19, most recent first. Line = consensus closing moneyline favorite and total where line history is available.
Teams
Nashville Predators
- Nashville Predators team stats
- New York Islanders 4, Nashville Predators 3 (Oct 27)
- Colorado Avalanche 2, Nashville Predators 6 (Oct 25)
- Nashville Predators 2, Pittsburgh Penguins 3 (Oct 24)
Montréal Canadiens
More NHL games on October 8, 2026
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