Nashville Predators (1-1-0) vs. Toronto Maple Leafs (1-2-0)
6 p.m. CT | Scotiabank Arena
Watch: Scripps Sports/The Spot - Nashville 28; PredsTV App (in-market); ESPN+ (out-of-market)
Listen: 102.5 The Game, Preds Radio Network
Live Stats: GameCenter
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The first roadtrip of the young season has arrived for the Nashville Predators, and they’ll begin a three-game swing through eastern Canada tonight in Toronto when they face 2026 No. 1 pick Gavin McKenna and the Maple Leafs for a 6 p.m. CT puck drop at Scotiabank Arena.
This evening’s contest is the first of two meetings between the Preds and Leafs this season; Nashville will host Toronto in February at Bridgestone Arena.
After dropping the season opener to Minnesota on Thursday, the Predators bounced back with a 2-1 victory over the Dallas Stars on Saturday night.
Now, as they take to the road for the first time this season, there’s a win to build on as the group continues to mesh as well.
"It's exciting to get on the road,” Preds Head Coach Andrew Brunette said following Monday’s practice in Nashville. “A lot of these guys that have kids have been here since early August, and kind of get the routine monotony of being home. So, I think guys are excited to get going. I think it's really good for team bonding and building, being out there together, and some fun buildings to play in. It should be pretty electric every night, and we'll see how we stick together. [I’ll] really like it if we can build off of our first two games, especially our last one, and keep moving on.”
“There's a lot of new guys on this team, so to get on the road and spend some time together will be great,” Preds forward Alex Kerfoot said. “And we're playing three good hockey teams. Obviously, all three of these teams have aspirations to play in the playoffs. They have been in the playoffs recently, and so it'll be a good test. These are tough buildings to play in. We played two good teams already, and we’ve just got to keep building our game. And it'll be a good test to see where we stand playing these teams.”
Predators goaltender Justus Annunen, who did not dress for Saturday’s game and is day-to-day, did practice with the team on Monday.
Vitali Pinchuk also joined the group for practice after being recalled on Sunday. Pinchuk, who signed an entry-level deal with the Preds last spring, has yet to make his NHL debut, but the excitement to be on the road in itself is palpable for the young forward.
“Hopefully I get a chance and play in the NHL,” Pinchuk smiled after Monday’s practice. “It’s my dream. I want to be here, and I'm excited to be here… First road trip with an NHL team, I’m so excited. It doesn't matter what team we're playing, Canada is great. I was in Canada in 2019 when I played one year in the OHL, and I’m excited to be back in Canada.”
The Predators didn’t have any changes to their forward lines or defensive pairs during Monday’s practice with Pinchuk serving as an extra forward. Defenseman William Trudeau, who skated with Adam Wilsby, made his NHL debut on Saturday against Dallas. Defenseman Jack Ahcan made his Preds debut on Saturday as well.
Last Time Out:
After allowing a goal less than a minute into the game, power-play tallies from Steven Stamkos and Nils Hoglander made the difference for the Preds in a 2-1 victory over the Stars on Saturday.
Juuse Saros made 29 saves in the win, while Ahcan earned his first point with the Preds after Hoglander tipped in his shot on the man advantage.
The goal from Stamkos was career tally No. 625 for the veteran and tied him with Joe Sakic and Jarome Iginla for 17th all-time in NHL history.
Per NHL PR, Stamkos became the third active player to score in at least 500 NHL games. The only others to achieve the feat are Alex Ovechkin (706) and Sidney Crosby (529).
Stamkos passed Gordie Howe (126) for the seventh most game-tying goals in NHL history. The only others with more are Alex Ovechkin (155), Wayne Gretzky (139), Dave Andreychuk (137), Joe Sakic (132), Jaromir Jagr (129) and Brett Hull (128).
All-Time Meetings:
The Predators are 17-16-(1)-2 all-time against the Maple Leafs, including an 8-10-(1)-1 record on the road. Nashville is 4-6-0 in the last 10 versus Toronto but 0-5-0 in the last five meetings at Scotiabank Arena.
On Nov. 18, 2014, 15 Preds skaters reached the scoresheet, led by Taylor Beck's two goals and an assist, as Nashville tied a franchise record for goals in a game, topping Toronto 9-2 at Scotiabank Arena.
Nashville Notables:
Nashville has three players from the province of Ontario: Nic Hague (Kitchener), Ryan O’Reilly (Clinton) and Steven Stamkos (Markham). Stamkos has played against his hometown team 56 times in his career, tallying 68 points (24g-44a). His 44 helpers are the most he has recorded against any single franchise in his career.
Ryan O’Reilly played 13 games for Toronto in 2022-23, recording 11 points (4g-7a).
Alex Kerfoot played 285 games for Toronto from 2019-22, recording 134 points (40g-94a).
Mavrik Bourque notched his first career hat trick and recorded a career-high four points (3g-1a) on April 13, 2026 at Toronto.
Milestone Watch:
Steven Stamkos is one goal (625) from passing Joe Sakic and Jarome Iginla for sole possession of 17th in all-time goals scored in NHL history.
Adam Edstrom is one game from 100 in his NHL career.
Filip Forsberg is one assist from 400 in his NHL career.
Ryan O’Reilly is one point from 900 in his NHL career.
Nic Hague is two points from 100 in his NHL career.
Watch & Listen:
New this season, Preds fans can watch all locally broadcast Predators games on The Spot – Nashville 28 (WNPX) over the air with an antenna or on cable and satellite distributors serving the Predators territory.
Predators fans within the team’s TV viewing area can also stream 81 locally broadcast games for just $74 – less than $1 per game.
Nashville’s games will be streamed on the Nashville Predators App, which is available on the following devices:
- iOS/Android
- Amazon Fire TV
- Android TV
- Apple TV
- Roku
- Web via PredsTV.com
The season pass also includes access to on-demand game replays and exclusive content, such as “Inside Smashville,” a weekly magazine show that launches Friday, Oct. 2 on The Spot – Nashville 28 and Predators streaming platforms.
In addition to 81 of the team’s regular-season games being available on The Spot – Nashville 28 and via the Nashville Predators App stream, the remaining three contests will be exclusively broadcast on ESPN+.
Click here for more information on streaming and viewing options.
Fans may also listen on 102.5 The Game, the Preds Radio Network and El Jefe Radio.
