The last two meetings between these clubs produced 19 goals. Toronto won the first 7-4 and Nashville took the second 5-3, and neither came close to a quiet night.
That’s the number worth holding on to going into Predators vs Maple Leafs, because all three games Toronto has played this season finished by a single goal, and two of them went the wrong way. Neither club made the playoffs last year: Toronto came 28th, the Predators 23rd.
| Detail | Value |
|---|---|
| Game | Nashville Predators at Toronto Maple Leafs |
| Date | Tuesday 6 October 2026 |
| Puck drop | 7:00pm ET · 6:00pm CT · 5:00pm MT · 4:00pm PT |
| Venue | Scotiabank Arena, Toronto |
| 2025-26 head to head | One win each, 10-9 to Toronto on aggregate |
| 2025-26 finish | Nashville 23rd (86 pts), Toronto 28th (78 pts) |
| Records | Toronto 1-2-0, Nashville 1-1-0 |
| Rest | Nashville with 2 days off, Toronto with 2 days off |
How to watch
| Region | Broadcast |
|---|---|
| Canada | TSN4 |
| United States | SCRIPPS |
TSN4 has it in Canada. Regional coverage can differ from the national listing, and our how to watch the NHL in Canada page has the full picture.
How both clubs got here
Two defeats in three for Toronto. It beat the Islanders 2-1 between losses to Montréal on opening night and to Ottawa on Saturday, both by a single goal, and sits at 1-2-0.
Nashville is 1-1-0 and arrives on the back of a win. It lost 3-1 at home to Minnesota, then beat Dallas 2-1 on Saturday with Steven Stamkos scoring and Juuse Saros stopping 29 of 30. Nils Höglander, acquired from Vancouver in a June trade, got the winner.
Neither club is on a back-to-back. Both get two days between games.
Toronto still hasn’t settled its goaltending
Two starts, two defeats for Sergei Bobrovsky. He went first on opening night and went down 3-2 to Montréal, then returned on Saturday and lost by the same score to Ottawa, stopping 26 of 29. In between, Anthony Stolarz beat the Islanders 2-1 and took first star.
That’s two defeats in two starts for the goaltender Toronto signed in July to settle the position. Bobrovsky went 27-23-1 for Florida last season at a .877 save percentage, poor by his own standards and the lowest of any starter in this game. Stolarz managed .893 across 26 appearances and is unbeaten so far.
Toronto conceded 295 goals last season, the second-highest total in the league behind Vancouver. A crease this unsettled behind a defence that leaky is how a close game turns into a 6-3.
How they compare
| 2025-26 | Nashville Predators | Toronto Maple Leafs |
|---|---|---|
| Record | 38-34-10 | 32-36-14 |
| Points | 86 | 78 |
| Goals for per game | 2.95 | 3.07 |
| Goals against per game | 3.26 | 3.60 |
| Power play | 23.1% | 21.3% |
| Penalty kill | 81.7% | 81.2% |
Nashville scored fewer but conceded fewer. The eight-point gap between them last season came almost entirely from that.
Nashville’s best players are the oldest ones
Steven Stamkos scored 42 goals, the most on the team, at 35. Filip Forsberg added 40 and led the scoring on 75 points. Ryan O’Reilly put up 74 at plus eight, the only one of the three on the right side of even.
Stamkos is 36 now, O’Reilly 35, and Roman Josi 36. Josi managed 55 points from defence in 68 games. That’s a lot of production from a group the Predators can’t lean on forever, and it’s the reason their season hinges on whether the younger forwards take a step.
Matthew Wood scored 17 goals at 20 years old last season. Get him to 25 this year and the Predators have a second scoring line to go with the veterans.
In goal, Juuse Saros took the bulk of the work at 28-22-8 and a .894 save percentage across 59 games. Justus Annunen was better on rates in 28 appearances, at 2.68 and .907, but he’s listed day to day, so the start isn’t settled.
What happened last season
| Date | Result | Venue | Total goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-10-14 | Toronto 7-4 | Toronto | 11 |
| 2025-12-20 | Nashville 5-3 | Nashville | 8 |
Two meetings, one win each, and both finished well over six goals. Eleven in Toronto in October, eight in Nashville in December. Neither game went past regulation.
Team news
| Player | Club | Status | Latest |
|---|---|---|---|
| Max Domi | Toronto | Injured Reserve, Back | No timetable |
| Dakota Joshua | Toronto | Injured Reserve, Abdomen | Week to week |
| Elvis Merzlikins | Toronto | Injured Reserve, Shoulder | Long term |
| William Villeneuve | Toronto | Injured Reserve, Knee | No timetable |
| Cade Webber | Toronto | Injured Reserve, Elbow | No timetable |
| Justus Annunen | Nashville | Day to day, undisclosed | Check the morning skate |
Max Domi has no timetable. He had complications during surgery in the summer, and the date carried on the injury feed isn’t supported by anything the club has said. Dakota Joshua is week to week and will miss at least Toronto’s first ten games.
Nashville’s only listing is Justus Annunen, day to day with an undisclosed problem, so check the morning skate and our NHL injury report closer to the game.
Players to watch
William Nylander. He scored both Toronto goals in the opening-night loss to Montréal, and his 79 points last season came in only 65 games.
Filip Forsberg. Forty goals and 75 points, and he did it at minus two on a side that finished minus 25.
Steven Stamkos. Scored and took first star against Dallas on Saturday.
Whoever gets the crease. Bobrovsky is 0-2, Stolarz 1-0, and the club hasn’t said which way it goes. Stolarz looks the likelier on form, though nothing is confirmed until the morning skate.
Score prediction
Nashville Predators 3-4 Toronto Maple Leafs. Toronto is home, has a game of rhythm in hand and scored more than Nashville last season. The goaltending is why this isn’t a comfortable call.
Predators vs Maple Leafs prediction
Eight points and 28 goals against separated these two last season, both in Nashville’s favour, so the gap is real but small. Toronto is at home, which over one night is worth more than eight points in April.
The case against Toronto is the crease. Neither goaltender has settled the job and the club gave up 295 goals last season. Against a team with Forsberg, Stamkos and O’Reilly, that’s the thing most likely to decide it.
Our lean: Toronto, and the over if the total sits at 6 or lower. Both meetings last season had eight goals or more, and neither defence has obviously improved. The Predators vs Maple Leafs total posted at 6.5 on Monday, half a goal above that line, so at that number the lean is Toronto alone.
On Monday afternoon, Canadian books had Toronto at −175 (1.57) and Nashville at +130 (2.30). Prices move, and the board for this game sits on our NHL odds page. Where both clubs stand against the other 30 is on our NHL power rankings.
Puck drop is 7:00pm ET on Tuesday 6 October 2026 at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto. That is 6:00pm CT, 5:00pm MT and 4:00pm PT, and TSN4 has it in Canada.
The club has not said. Sergei Bobrovsky went down 3-2 to Montreal and 3-2 to Ottawa in his two starts. Anthony Stolarz won the game in between, 2-1 over the Islanders.
One win each. Toronto won 7-4 at home in October and Nashville won 5-3 at home in December. Both games finished well over six goals.
No. Domi is on injured reserve with a back problem after complications from summer surgery, and there is no timetable for his return.
Nashville finished 23rd on 86 points. Toronto finished 28th on 78 points, with a goal difference of minus 43.
19+ (18+ in AB, MB and QC). Odds are approximate at the time of writing and change constantly. Availability varies by province. Please play responsibly. ConnexOntario: 1-866-531-2600 for Ontario residents; see your province’s helpline for resources elsewhere.