Montréal has won four in a row and every one was on the road. They come home to the Centre Bell with Jacob Fowler at .942 and still without their captain. Pittsburgh won the first meeting 6-5 in overtime. The call, the team news and the Canadian prices follow.
How to watch
| Detail | |
|---|---|
| Game | Pittsburgh Penguins at Montréal Canadiens |
| Date | Saturday 31 October 2026 |
| Puck drop | 7:00pm ET |
| Venue | Centre Bell |
| Records | Pittsburgh 5-6-2, Montréal 8-3-2 |
What you can watch depends on where you are, because regional rights and blackouts both apply. The how to watch the NHL in Canada page has it by province.
Penguins vs Canadiens odds
This game had not been priced in Canada at the time of writing. Boards for the night’s games go up on our NHL odds page as the books post them.
Montréal has won four straight away from home, without Suzuki
The Canadiens are 8-3-2 on eighteen points and sixth. The run reads 4-1 in Chicago, 2-1 in Winnipeg at the Heritage Classic, 2-0 in St Louis and 5-2 in Dallas.
Nick Suzuki has not played in any of them. The captain is out until around 18 November with an upper-body injury, and the club has taken eight points from four road games since. Mike Matheson carries a return date of today.
Jacob Fowler is the reason. A .942 across seven starts and a 6-1-0 record, including the shut-out in St Louis. Jakub Dobes is 1-2-2 at .847 behind him, which is a hundred points of difference.
How they compare
| 2025-26 | Pittsburgh Penguins | Montréal Canadiens |
|---|---|---|
| Record | 41-25-16 | 48-24-10 |
| Points | 98 | 106 |
| Goals for per game | 3.57 | 3.45 |
| Goals against per game | 3.27 | 3.12 |
| Power play | 24.1% | 23.1% |
| Penalty kill | 81.4% | 78.2% |
Montréal finished eight points clear of Pittsburgh last season but conceded slightly less rather than scoring more. Pittsburgh had the better penalty kill by three points, at 81.4 per cent, and a power play within a point of Montréal’s.
Pittsburgh is twenty-fourth and already have the win over these two
The Penguins are 5-6-2 on twelve points. They lost 4-3 past regulation to Utah on Wednesday and have taken three of their last five to extra time.
They beat Montréal 6-5 in overtime on 3 October, at home, in the first meeting of the season. That is the game to hold against everything the form guide says about these two now.
Arturs Silovs has the crease at 5-3-0 and a .890. Five players are out: Bryan Rust until early December, Ryan Graves until late November, Trevor van Riemsdyk to 5 November and Justin Brazeau to 3 November.
Four of the last five cleared six goals
| Date | Result | Venue |
|---|---|---|
| 3 Oct 2026 | Pittsburgh 6-5 (OT) | Pittsburgh |
| 21 Dec 2025 | Pittsburgh 4-3 (SO) | Pittsburgh |
| 20 Dec 2025 | Montréal 4-0 | Montréal |
| 11 Dec 2025 | Montréal 4-2 | Pittsburgh |
| 12 Dec 2024 | Pittsburgh 9-2 | Montréal |
Montréal leads the all-time series 155 wins to 98 across 253 meetings, one of the oldest records in the league. Pittsburgh has taken three of the last five.
Those five produced 11, 7, 4, 6 and 11 goals, an average of 7.8. Four of them cleared six. That sits very oddly beside a Montréal side whose last four wins finished 4-1, 2-1, 2-0 and 5-2.
Team news
| Club | Player | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Montréal | Nick Suzuki | Out, upper body, to around 18 November |
| Montréal | Mike Matheson | Out, lower body, dated to return today |
| Montréal | Sam Montembeault | Out, lower body, on injured reserve to 31 October |
| Montréal | Ivan Demidov | Out, lower body, on injured reserve to 31 October |
| Pittsburgh | Bryan Rust | Out, lower body, on injured reserve to early December |
| Pittsburgh | Ryan Graves | Out, knee, on injured reserve to late November |
| Pittsburgh | Trevor van Riemsdyk | Out, lower body, on injured reserve to 5 November |
| Pittsburgh | Justin Brazeau | Out, lower body, to 3 November |
| Pittsburgh | Elmer Soderblom | Out, upper body, on injured reserve to 7 November |
Who starts in goal is an open question. Pittsburgh Penguins has split between Silovs (8 starts, .890) and Murashov (4, .883), and Montréal Canadiens has split between Fowler (7 starts, .942) and Dobes (5, .847). Season rates say little about who takes the warm-up, and the market reprices as soon as a club names someone.
Everyone else’s absentees are on the NHL injury report.
Players to watch
Jacob Fowler, Montréal. A .942 across seven starts and 6-1-0, the best save percentage of any goaltender in this weekend’s set.
Lane Hutson, Montréal. Scoring from the blue line with Suzuki out, including at the Heritage Classic.
Arturs Silovs, Pittsburgh. 5-3-0 at .890, and the goaltender who survived a 6-5 overtime win over these opponents in October.
Score prediction
Montréal Canadiens 4-2 Pittsburgh Penguins. Four straight wins on the road, now at the Centre Bell, with the best goaltender on the ice.
Penguins vs Canadiens prediction
Montréal is the side we would take. Four wins in a row away from home, sixth in the league, and Fowler at .942 against a club twenty-fourth.
The case for Pittsburgh is the first meeting and the series. They won it 6-5 in overtime, they have taken three of the last five, and four of those five cleared six goals. Our lean: Montréal, and the under if the total sits at 6 or higher. The head-to-head average of 7.8 argues the other way, but Montréal’s four road wins finished 4-1, 2-1, 2-0 and 5-2, and Fowler is the reason.
For how these two measure against the league, see the NHL power rankings. The NHL schedule covers the rest of Saturday’s games.
Puck drop is 7:00pm ET on Saturday 31 October 2026 at the Centre Bell in Montréal.
Yes. Pittsburgh won 6-5 in overtime on 3 October, at home. This is the second meeting.
No. The Montréal captain is out until around 18 November with an upper-body injury. The Canadiens have won four road games in a row without him.
Jacob Fowler, who is 6-1-0 with a .942 across seven starts. Jakub Dobes is 1-2-2 with a .847.
Montréal to win 4-2, and the under if the total sits at 6 or higher.
19+ (18+ in AB, MB and QC). Picks are opinion, not advice, and odds 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.