The Predators saw their offensive attack sputter once again while dropping a 2-0 decision to the Boston Bruins on Thursday. The Canadiens arrive in town looking to snap a two-game slide after falling well short in a 4-1 loss to the visiting Colorado Avalanche on Thursday.

With the support of just 11% of sports bettors, the Canadiens have steadily lost ground since opening as +160 underdogs, and now trail as a lengthy +176 bet. Conversely, the Predators have soared, climbing to -212 home favourites. The total has held steady since opening at 5.5, but with the backing of 82% of bets, the OVER has improved to a -115 wager.

Canadiens vs. Predators NHL Betting Odds

Saturday night’s matchup at Bridgestone Arena marks the second and final meeting between these two teams this season. Montreal earned a rare victory when the Predators visited Bell Centre on November 20, romping a 6-3 victory as +105 underdogs, snapping a five-game losing streak.

However, the Canadiens have mustered just one victory in their past five visits to Music City, scoring just eight total goals in those contests. The Predators were far from a dominant offensive force in those contests, scoring three or fewer goals on four occasions, fueling a 3-1-1 run for the UNDER during that stretch.

Montreal Canadiens

A corner office shakeup has yet have any impact on the Canadiens’ on-ice fortunes. The club’s losing ways continued this week with back-to-back home losses to the Vancouver and Colorado, in which they were outscored by a 6-2 overall margin. Overall, the Canadiens have now lost eight of 10, but are hoping to build on a 6-3 win in Pittsburgh last weekend that marks just their second away victory of the season.

Things could be much worse in Montreal were it not for the recent steady play of Jake Allen. The Canadiens netminder received little support from teammates while stopping 70 of 75 shots faced over this week’s two defeats. Allen also stoned the Penguins in last Saturday’s road win, turning aside 47 of 50 shots faced. He has also performed in recent visits to Nashville, making 77 total saves while powering Montreal to a 1-0-1 record in those contests.

Nashville Predators

Consistent offensive production has also eluded the Predators this season. Currently ranked 23^rd in the NHL in team scoring, Nashville has failed to score more than two goals in consecutive outings over their past eight contests. Of course, the Predators have not been without their offensive outbursts during that stretch.

Most notable among them was Filip Forberg’s four-goal performance in Tuesday’s 6-0 rout of the visiting Columbus Blue Jackets. Forsberg has shown no ill effects of the injury that sidelined him for three weeks in November, potting six goals and two assists in five games since his return.

However, the team’s leading goal scorer Matt Duchene has been somewhat quiet of late, scoring just once on 19 total shots over his past six outings.

NHL Prediction: Who Will Win Canadiens vs. Predators?

• Regular Season

Canadiens Team Leaders

MON

Points	Nick Suzuki 22
+ / -	Sami Niku 3
Shots	Nick Suzuki 87
Penalty Mins	Michael Pezzetta 37
Wins	Jake Allen 5
GAA	Jake Allen 3.15

NAS

Points	Roman Josi 42
+ / -	Alexandre Carrier 9
Shots	Roman Josi 146
Penalty Mins	Mark Borowiecki 83
Wins	Juuse Saros 21
GAA	Juuse Saros 2.42

• Regular Season

Predators Team Leaders

MON

Points	Nick Suzuki 22
+ / -	Sami Niku 3
Shots	Nick Suzuki 87
Penalty Mins	Michael Pezzetta 37
Wins	Jake Allen 5
GAA	Jake Allen 3.15

NAS

Points	Roman Josi 42
+ / -	Alexandre Carrier 9
Shots	Roman Josi 146
Penalty Mins	Mark Borowiecki 83
Wins	Juuse Saros 21
GAA	Juuse Saros 2.42

Injuries

Montreal

Josh Anderson (RW)

Ques Sat Undisclosed - 22 / 01 / 22

Jonathan Drouin (LW)

Out indefinitely Upper Body - 22 / 01 / 22

Jeff Petry (D)

Ques Sat Undisclosed - 22 / 01 / 22

Sam Montembeault (G)

Ques Mon Undisclosed - 22 / 01 / 22

Joel Armia (RW)

Out indefinitely Illness - 18 / 01 / 22

Cole Caufield (RW)

Out indefinitely Illness - 18 / 01 / 22

Cedric Paquette (C)

Ques Sat Neck - 13 / 01 / 22

Chris Wideman (D)

Elig Mon Suspension - 13 / 01 / 22

Kale Clague (D)

Ques Tues Conditioning - 13 / 01 / 22

Jake Allen (G)

Mid March Lower Body - 12 / 01 / 22

Nashville

Eeli Tolvanen (RW)

Out indefinitely Illness - 22 / 01 / 22

Dante Fabbro (D)

Out indefinitely Upper Body - 17 / 01 / 22

Mattias Ekholm (D)

Out indefinitely Illness - 15 / 01 / 22

Mark Borowiecki (D)

Ques Sat Lower Body - 12 / 01 / 22

Yakov Trenin (C)

Out indefinitely Illness - 11 / 01 / 22

Filip Forsberg (LW)

Out indefinitely Illness - 08 / 01 / 22

Dante Fabbro (D)

Ques Tues Conditioning - 01 / 01 / 22

Roman Josi (D)

Out indefinitely Illness - 27 / 12 / 21

Colton Sissons (C)

Out indefinitely Illness - 27 / 12 / 21

Thomas Novak (C)

Out indefinitely Illness - 27 / 12 / 21

Injuries

Montreal

player (position)	status		ats*current	o/u*	notes
Josh Anderson (RW)	Ques Sat	Undisclosed - 22 / 01 / 22	1-0	1-0	+ -
Anderson has an injury to an unannounced location, and it is up in the air if he will face the Avalanche on Saturday.
Jonathan Drouin (LW)	Out indefinitely	Upper Body - 22 / 01 / 22	1-0	1-0	+ -
Drouin has ended up on the injured reserve list with an upper-body injury, and a timetable for recovery has yet to be established.
Jeff Petry (D)	Ques Sat	Undisclosed - 22 / 01 / 22	1-0	1-0	+ -
Petry is bothered by an unlisted injury, and it is uncertain if he will play against the Avalanche on Saturday.
Sam Montembeault (G)	Ques Mon	Undisclosed - 22 / 01 / 22	1-0	1-0	+ -
Montembeault sat out the last contest with an unspecified ailment, and it is unknown if he will be active for Monday's clash with the Wild.
Joel Armia (RW)	Out indefinitely	Illness - 18 / 01 / 22	2-1	3-0	+ -
Armia has been shuttled to the COVID-19 protocol, and it is unknown when he will return to the ice.
Cole Caufield (RW)	Out indefinitely	Illness - 18 / 01 / 22	2-1	3-0	+ -
Caufield has been assigned to the COVID-19 protocol, and a date for his return has yet to be decided.
Cedric Paquette (C)	Ques Sat	Neck - 13 / 01 / 22	3-2	3-1-1	+ -
Paquette has missed the past four games with a neck issue, and it is unclear if he will be active for Saturday's tilt with the Avalanche.
Chris Wideman (D)	Elig Mon	Suspension - 13 / 01 / 22	3-2	3-1-1	+ -
Wideman is serving a one-game suspension for head-butting, and he is not eligible to return until Monday's matchup with the Coyotes.
Kale Clague (D)	Ques Tues	Conditioning - 13 / 01 / 22	3-2	3-1-1	+ -
Clague has cleared the NHL's COVID-19 protocol, and it is up in the air if he will take on the Stars on Tuesday.
Jake Allen (G)	Mid March	Lower Body - 12 / 01 / 22	3-3	4-1-1	+ -
Allen has been assigned to the injured reserve list due to a lower-body injury, and he is projected to remain out of the lineup for at least eight weeks.

Nashville

player (position)	status		ats*current	o/u*	notes
Eeli Tolvanen (RW)	Out indefinitely	Illness - 22 / 01 / 22	1-0	1-0	+ -
Tolvanen will be out of commission for an undetermined period as he is enrolled in the NHL's COVID-19 protocol.
Dante Fabbro (D)	Out indefinitely	Upper Body - 17 / 01 / 22	2-2	3-1	+ -
Fabbro suffered an upper-body injury, and he will spend an undetermined amount of time on the injured reserve list.
Mattias Ekholm (D)	Out indefinitely	Illness - 15 / 01 / 22	2-3	3-2	+ -
Ekholm has wound up in the league's COVID-19 protocol, and there is no timetable for recovery.
Mark Borowiecki (D)	Ques Sat	Lower Body - 12 / 01 / 22	4-3	5-2	+ -
Borowiecki missed the previous game with a lower-body issue, and it is unknown if he will play against the Bruins on Saturday.
Yakov Trenin (C)	Out indefinitely	Illness - 11 / 01 / 22	4-3	5-2	+ -
Trenin will be out of the lineup for an extended period as he is enlisted in the league's COVID-19 protocol.
Filip Forsberg (LW)	Out indefinitely	Illness - 08 / 01 / 22	5-3	6-2	+ -
Forsberg has been posted to the COVID-19 protocol, and he will be away from the team for an extended period.
Dante Fabbro (D)	Ques Tues	Conditioning - 01 / 01 / 22	7-4	8-3	+ -
Fabbro has been removed from the league's COVID-19 protocol, and it is uncertain if he will be available for Tuesday's clash with the Avalanche.
Roman Josi (D)	Out indefinitely	Illness - 27 / 12 / 21	7-5	9-3	+ -
Josi has wound up in the league's COVID-19 protocol, and there is no timetable for recovery.
Colton Sissons (C)	Out indefinitely	Illness - 27 / 12 / 21	7-5	9-3	+ -
Sissions has been assigned to the COVID-19 protocol, and it is up in the air when he will return.
Thomas Novak (C)	Out indefinitely	Illness - 27 / 12 / 21	7-5	9-3	+ -
Novak has been designated to the COVID-19 protocol, and a return date has yet to be determined.