After dropping back-to-back games, the Montreal Canadiens will try to get back in the win column on Thursday when they host the Nashville Predators, a Western Conference club that barely missed the playoffs last season and has produced mixed results through the early going.
Nashville opened the season with a surprising 2-1 win over the Dallas Stars in its second game, but it came back to earth in a painful 5-4 overtime loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs, a game in which the Predators let a 3-0 lead slip away. Now on the second stop of a three-game road trip, they'll be looking for a rebound of their own.
Montreal will have home ice working in its favor, along with some history as the Canadiens have beaten the Predators five straight times heading into Thursday's matchup.
Canadiens are going to need their captain to lead the way
Leading the way in the effort to get Montreal back on track will be captain Nick Suzuki, who has been on fire out of the gate. The 27-year-old has two goals and four assists for six points through the team's first three games. He has also saved some of his best hockey for Nashville, recording points in five consecutive games against the Predators and totaling one goal and six assists for seven points over that stretch.
Suzuki is coming off a breakout campaign that silenced many of his doubters and showed he can be more than a top-line center. He proved to be a leader and an elite offensive weapon, scoring 29 goals and a career-high 72 assists for 101 points in 82 games. He added 16 points in 19 playoff games as Montreal advanced to the Eastern Conference Final, where the club was ultimately eliminated by the Carolina Hurricanes in five games.
The London, Ontario native has typically been a fast starter in recent years. Over his last four Octobers, Suzuki has put up 12 goals and 35 assists for 47 points in 40 games, and he'll look to keep that pace going on Thursday.
The Canadiens will also have an extra storyline to rally around in Goaltender Jacob Fowler, who was recently called up and is expected to make his season debut in net against Nashville, giving Montreal a fresh face between the pipes as it looks to snap its two-game skid.
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