Nashville Predators vs Montreal Canadiens Prediction, 10/8/2026 NHL Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Nashville Predators vs Montreal Canadiens

Date: Thursday, October 8, 2026

Location: Centre Bell in Montreal, QC

TV: Nashville 28, TSN2

Odds/Point Spread: Predators (+154) Canadiens (-176)

The Montreal Canadiens (1-1-1) will go up against the Nashville Predators (1-1-1) at Centre Bell on Thursday. The odds on this game have Nashville at +154 and Montreal is coming in at -176. The over/under is 6.5.

The Nashville Predators will be looking to get a win in their next outing after their 5-4 defeat against the Maple Leafs in their previous game. The Predators had a good offensive output in this loss. For the matchup, they earned a goal on 4 of the 25 shots they put on net. Furthermore, they had 1 attempt on the power play and were able to score 1 goal. Nashville recorded 6 penalty minutes in this outing.

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Nashville Predators opponents have 8 power play opportunities (26th in the league) and have a total of 2 goals in those chances. The Predators so far have had 97 shots taken against them and hold a save percentage of .907. Nashville has tried 71 shots and holds a shot percentage of 9.9%. At even strength, the Predators have given up 7 goals while getting 4 on offense. Nashville has compiled 8 power play chances and they have added 3 goals out of those attempts, giving them a percentage of 37.50%. For the year, they have tallied 3 points and their points percentage sits at .500. When discussing their goal scoring prowess, the Nashville Predators have notched 7 goals (24th in hockey) on the campaign and have allowed 9.

The player between the pipes for this game is Juuse Saros. Saros has been in goal for 470 games over the course of his professional hockey career. He has amassed an overall mark of 231-173-47 and he started in 453 games. The opposition has racked up 1,235 goals versus Saros in his pro career and his goals against average per game is 2.73. Saros has had 13,973 shot attempts against him and he has 12,738 total saves. He has a save percentage of .912 in his 26,844 mins between the pipes. In his professional hockey career, Saros has compiled 260 quality starts and his quality starts percentage sits at .574.

The last time they were on the ice, Montreal squared up with the Hurricanes in a game where the Canadiens ended up losing by a tally of 6-4. They had 6 power play chances in this contest and recorded 1 out of those opportunities. The Canadiens netted 4 goals out of the 20 shots on goal they took.

On the year, the Montreal Canadiens have accounted for 12 goals, 3 points, in addition to a points percentage of .500. They have granted a total of 14 goals to be scored by of a combination of 11 goals at even strength and 3 goals while they were shorthanded. The Canadiens are sitting with 11 goals at even strength and 1 goal (23rd in pro hockey) while on the power play. They have a total of 10 power play opportunities and they have a power play rate of 10.00%. Montreal has attempted 69 shots (28th in pro hockey) and has accumulated a shot percentage of 17.39%, while allowing the other team 92 shots. They have recorded a penalty kill percentage of 75.00% on their oppositions 12 tries on the power play, and their save percentage currently comes in at 84.8%.

On the other side of the ice you are expected to see Jakub Dobes in net. His opposition is averaging 2.83 goals/game and he has yielded 170 goals overall. Dobes' quality start rate comes in at 60.0% and he has made 36 quality starting assignments in his career. He was named a starter in 60 contests and has been on the ice for 149 mins. Dobes has a lifetime mark of 37-15-8 and has played in 62 games. He has recorded 1,548 stops out of the 1,718 shots tried, which gives him a save percentage of .901.

Who will win tonight's NHL game against the spread or moneyline?

Josh's Pick: Take Nashville (+154)

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