Canadiens Preview: Fowler Expected To Start Versus Predators
David Kirouac-Imagn Images The Montreal Canadiens (40-21-10) will face the Nashville Predators (34-29-9) on Saturday night, with the puck drop scheduled for 7 pm ET. While the Habs are in good shape when it comes to their playoff odds , and are likely to qualify for a second consecutive season, it’s the opposite situation in Nashville, where the Predators are once again set to miss the springtime. When Lane Hutson registered his 70th point of the season in Montreal’s crucial win over the Columbus Blue Jackets on Thursday, he became the third Canadiens player to reach the 70-point mark this season, alongside Nick Suzuki (84) and Cole Caufield (76).
The Preds, on the other hand, are yet to see any of their players hit 70 points, with veteran Ryan O’Reilly leading the underwhelming charge (66). The Canadiens own a better powerplay, score more goals, allow their opponents to score fewer, and win more faceoffs than the Predators, which may give you the impression that Saturday night’s game will be an easy one, but that’s a mistake in a forced-parity league such as the NHL. This is a classic trap game for the Habs, especially when we consider they have a very hard time starting games on the right foot.
Montreal loves to play behind the eight-ball, offering their best performances when they’re facing adversity. This unorthodox style of play has led to several exciting wins this year, but it’s clearly a risky strategy. Lineup Changes Head coach Martin St-Louis intends to hold his cards close to his chest through the final stretch of the regular season, which makes lineup updates a little more challenging.
However, Jacob Fowler was the first goaltender to leave the ice at practice, usually a strong indication that he’s set to start the upcoming game. Montreal Canadiens Projected Lineup Cole Caufield – Nick Suzuki – Juraj Slafkovsky Alex Newhook – Oliver Kapanen – Ivan Demidov Zach Bolduc – Jake Evans – Josh Anderson Joe Veleno – Phillip Danault – Brendan Gallagher Mike Matheson – Noah Dobson Kaiden Guhle – Alex Carrier Jayden Struble- Lane Hutson Jakub Dobes Nashville Predators Projected Lineup Steven Stamkos – Ryan O’Reilly – Luke Evangelista Filip Forsberg – Matthew Wood – Jonathan Marchessault Zachary L’Heureux – Erik Haula – Tyson Jost Reid Schaefer – Fedor Svechkov – Joakim Kemell Brady Skjei – Roman Josi Nicolas Hague – Nick Perbix Adam Wilsby – Ryan Ufko Juuse Saros How To Watch The Habs Vs. The Preds The Montreal Canadiens versus the Nashville Predators, Thursday, March 26, 2026, will be aired on RDS and TSN2.
An instant recap complete with highlights will be available on Sportsnaut as soon as the final whistle is blown. Related Headlines Habs Daily: Playoff Odds, Protz Contract, Hage Injured Updated Canadiens Playoff Situation, Remaining Games Habs Daily: Hutson Hits 70, St-Louis Frustrated, Dobes