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MONTREAL – Let’s keep the good times rolling! The Canadiens will look to stay perfect at the Bell Centre when they welcome the Predators on Thursday.

Here’s what you need to know heading into the game:

GAME FACTS

WHEN 

Thursday, October 16 at 7:00 p.m. 

WHERE 

Bell Centre – Montreal, QC  

TV & STREAMING 

TSN2, RDS 

RADIO 

TSN 690, 98.5 FM 

TICKETS 

STATISTICS 

WHAT’S HAPPENING AT THE BELL CENTRE

It’s Desk Calendar Night at the Bell Centre presented by Air Canada. The first 15,000 fans through the doors will get their hands on a planner, so arrive early!

TEAM COMPARISONS

No other team does home openers quite like Montreal. If the pregame ceremony checked all the boxes, the game itself was just as thrilling as the Canadiens pulled off a 5-4 overtime win against the Seattle Kraken on Tuesday. Martin St-Louis' men will look to continue their strong play at the Bell Centre, where they haven’t sustained a regular season loss in regulation since February 9, 2025.

The Predators, on the other hand, are coming off a tough 7-4 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs at Scotiabank Arena on Tuesday. It was their second stop on a four-game Canadian road swing that brings them to Montreal tonight and concludes in Winnipeg on Saturday. Following a disappointing start to the 2024-25 season, where the Preds dropped five games in a row and would eventually go on to finish 14th in the Western Conference, things look better for Andrew Brunette’s squad as they currently hold a 2-1-1 record to start the new campaign.

SEASON SERIES

Oct. 16 vs. NSH:

Mar. 28 @ NSH:

PLAYERS TO WATCH FOR

Cole Caufield netted the OT winner against the Kraken, which was his second tally of the night. The 24-year-old winger has five points (3G, 2A) in four games, right behind captain Nick Suzuki’s six points (6A).

Meanwhile, Erik Haula scored the game-tying goal in the second period to bring Nashville even with Toronto on Tuesday. After being acquired via trade by the Preds this summer, his second stint in Nashville is going well so far, as the 34-year-old winger has four points in as many games.

BY THE NUMBERS: PREDS-HABS

Here’s how the Predators and Canadiens match up by the numbers:

Predators 

📈 

Canadiens 

2-1-1 

RECORD 

3-1-0 

5.9% 

POWER PLAY 

17.6% 

91.7% 

PENALTY KILL 

78.6% 

3.00 

GOALS FOR/GAME 

3.75 

3.00 

GOALS AGAINST/GAME 

3.00 

O’Reilly, Haula, Marchessault (2) 

GOALS 

Caufield, Bolduc (3) 

Josi, Haula, Marchessault, Forsberg, Wiesblatt, Evangelista, Wilsby (2) 

ASSISTS 

Suzuki (6) 

Haula, Marchessault (4) 

POINTS 

Suzuki (6) 

Perbix (+5) 

+/- DIFFERENTIAL 

Matheson (+3) 

Forsberg (11) 

HITS 

Guhle (15) 

LINEUP NEWS

The Canadiens are scheduled for a morning skate at 10:30 a.m. on Thursday. Subscribe to or follow the team on YouTube, Facebook and X (@CanadiensMTL) to catch St-Louis' press conference and player media availabilities around 11:00 a.m., and keep an eye on the Canadiens social accounts for any potential lineup news. For the full official lineup, check back on the team’s social accounts closer to puck drop.

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