The Montreal Canadiens head into Thursday night trying to stop a two-game slide, and they’ll get their shot at home against a Nashville Predators team that has already shown both sides of its game early on.
Nashville came out of the gate with a surprise 2-1 win over the Dallas Stars in its second game, but that momentum didn’t last long. The Predators then suffered a painful 5-4 overtime loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs after giving away a 3-0 lead. Now they’re in the second game of a three-game road trip, looking for a reset of their own.
Montreal, meanwhile, has one very familiar edge working in its favor: the Canadiens have beaten Nashville five straight times entering this matchup.
At the center of Montreal’s push is captain Nick Suzuki, who has started the season with the kind of pace that can carry a team through a rough patch. Through three games, the 27-year-old has two goals and four assists for six points. He has also had Nashville’s number in particular, with points in five straight games against the Predators and a total of one goal and six assists for seven points in that span.
Suzuki’s recent production fits the larger picture of where his game has gone. After a breakout season that answered plenty of questions, he finished with 29 goals and a career-high 72 assists for 101 points in 82 games. He then added 16 points in 19 playoff games as Montreal reached the Eastern Conference Final before falling to the Carolina Hurricanes in five games.
He has also made a habit of coming out strong in October. Over his last four Octobers, Suzuki has piled up 12 goals and 35 assists for 47 points in 40 games, and Montreal will need that early-season burst again if it wants to get back in the win column.
There’s another wrinkle for the Canadiens as well: goaltender Jacob Fowler has been called up and is expected to make his season debut against Nashville, giving Montreal a new look in net as it tries to end the skid.
In Other News...
Adam Engstrom Just Gave Canadiens A Tough Blue Line Decision
Adam Engstroms season debut for Montreal came in a 5-2 loss to Nashville, but the rookie defenseman still gave the Canadiens something to think about on a night when their blue line was under the microscope. He skated just under 12 minutes and was not on the ice for any goals against, and his work helped steady a third pairing that had looked shakier in previous games.
Engstrom also stood out in a quieter way by leading Montreal defensemen in turnovers, though none of them turned into dangerous chances for the Predators. For a team trying to sort out its back end, that kind of performance makes the next lineup decision a little more interesting, especially if the Canadiens are looking for signs that a young defender can handle more responsibility. [Read more 🡒]
Canadiens Face A Telling Blue Line Decision After Struble Trade
Montreals trade of Jayden Struble looks less like a simple subtraction and more like a sign of where the blue line is headed. The Canadiens still have six defensemen on the roster, but management clearly treated the move as strategic, with defensive reinforcements expected to follow rather than leaving the group thin for long.
The next step is what makes the situation worth watching. Kaiden Guhle is nearing a return, which could handle the open spot right away, while David Reinbacher remains the other major internal option if the club decides it needs a seventh defenseman. For a team trying to balance present needs with longer-term planning, the answer will say plenty about how the Canadiens see their depth chart right now. [Read more 🡒]
Canadiens Face A Delicate Dylan Larkin Test At Bell Centre
The Bell Centre crowd has a way of turning routine visits into something a little more complicated, and Dylan Larkins next trip to Montreal is already carrying an extra layer of intrigue. The Red Wings captain is off to a steady start with two points in two games this season, and with an $8.7 million cap hit, he remains the kind of player who draws attention wherever he goes.
What makes this one stand out is the backdrop around his arrival, which has turned the Canadiens home date into more than just another test on the schedule. TVA Sports reporter Anthony Martineau noted the growing conversation around how Larkin might be received in Canada, and whether the atmosphere inside the building could end up mattering beyond one night at the rink. [Read more 🡒]