TLDR: Nashville has scored 3 goals in its first 2 games and won 1 of them. On Tuesday, October 6, the Predators bring that 1-goal style into Scotiabank Arena against a Leafs team that let a home game get away from it against Ottawa.
Nashville arrives 1-1-0 after 2 low-scoring games, the latest a 2-1 win over Dallas. Its backup goalie is out, so Juuse Saros carries the load. Toronto has Auston Matthews back from knee surgery and a rebuilt top 6 with Marchenko and McKenna, but it lost a 3-2 game to Ottawa and is missing Max Domi and Dakota Joshua. The game likely turns on whether the Leafs' top line can break down a Predators team that defends leads well.
+Top 6 now includes Marchenko, Nylander, Tavares and McKenna
−Domi and Joshua out, thinning the forward depth
−Blanked in 2 of 3 periods vs Ottawa
−Gave up a goal in every period to the Senators
Both teams come in with plenty to prove, and neither has been easy to score on. Nashville lost its opener 3-1 to Minnesota at Bridgestone Arena. Then it beat Dallas 2-1 by scoring both of its goals in the 1st period, Steven Stamkos getting 1 of them, and keeping the Stars quiet for the last 2 periods. Toronto's game against Ottawa came down to 1 goal too: the Leafs scored twice in the 2nd period, got nothing else, and lost 3-2 on Eklund's 3rd-period winner.
The headline for Toronto is that Auston Matthews is back. He's returning from knee surgery to repair a Grade 3 MCL tear that ended his 2025-26 season early, and he scored against the Senators. Before that game, NHL.com projected him centering Kirill Marchenko and Jack Roslovic, with Gavin McKenna skating next to John Tavares and William Nylander on the 2nd line. Max Domi and Dakota Joshua were listed as injured, which takes some bite out of a forward group that's supposed to be deep. Neither side has a posted price yet, so there's no board to talk about.
Nashville's issue is in goal. Juuse Saros allowed 3 goals in the opener and was slated to start again against Dallas. Backup Justus Annunen is listed out after missing practice, and the club called up Matt Murray from Milwaukee as cover. Murray joined the Predators in 2024 but has never played a regular-season game for them, and his last NHL appearance was January 8, 2024. If Annunen is still out on Tuesday, Nashville's whole plan rests on Saros.
Toronto's matchup problem is Nashville's game script. The Predators scored early against Dallas and then sat on a 1-goal lead for 40 minutes. That's the kind of game that frustrates a top-heavy lineup like Toronto's, especially one still building chemistry between Matthews and Marchenko. The Leafs went quiet in the 1st and 3rd periods against Ottawa. If they start that slowly again, Nashville already knows how to protect a lead.
Puck drop is 7:00 PM ET. This is an early-October game that will mostly show where each roster stands. Toronto has to show that the top 6 can carry it without Domi and Joshua. Nashville has to show that Stamkos and a quick start can keep producing when its goaltending depth is a question.
Nashville Predators at Toronto Maple Leafs — Predators' Grinding Start Meets Matthews and the Retooled Leafs Top Line | Polymarket Odds · Barstool Bush
