TEAM COMPARISONS
Stop us if you’ve heard this before: the Habs mounted a third-period comeback to take care of business at the Bell Centre.
Montreal erased a one-goal deficit to edge the Philadelphia Flyer 3-2 in the opening game of their weekend doubleheader on Saturday. The win marked the Canadiens’ fourth straight, as they further solidified their grip on the second Wild Card spot in the Eastern Conference. Entering Sunday’s matchup, the Canadiens are four points clear of the New York Rangers in the standings.
The Preds are already looking ahead to next year—and truthfully, they have been for a while. Despite lofty preseason expectations, Nashville never really found its rhythm, landing near the basement of the National Hockey League standings early and failing to climb out. Juuse Saros, Roman Josi and Steven Stamkos have all experienced noticeable dips in production, contributing to the team’s 2024-25 woes.
Nashville enters Sunday’s matchup mired in a five-game losing streak during which they’ve scored just nine goals. But with a return to home ice and rest on their side, expect the Predators to come out strong as they look to play spoiler down the stretch.
SEASON SERIES
Dec. 5 vs. NSH: 3-0 MTL
Apr. 6 @ NSH:
PLAYERS TO WATCH FOR
Alexandre Carrier returns to Smashville for the first time since being traded to Montreal in late December. The 28-year-old played parts of seven seasons with the Preds and Milwaukee Admirals before returning home to Quebec, where he’s played an important role on the Habs’ blue line. Carrier has 16 points (2G, 14A) in 44 appearance this year.
On the flip side, keep an eye on Justin Barron, who went the other way in the trade. The 23-year-old defenseman has carved out a regular role in Nashville’s lineup has seen an increase in workload in recent weeks with his ice time north of 19 minutes in each of his last nine games. Barron has 10 points (5G, 5A) in 56 games this year.
BY THE NUMBERS: HABS-PREDS
Here’s how the Canadiens and Predators match up by the numbers:
