The Saturday night matchup has the Detroit Red Wings visiting the Montreal Canadiens, and Last Word On Hockey has you covered with NHL Predictions.

The Montreal Canadiens cleared some of their defensive depth on Friday, trading defender Jayden Struble to the Nashville Predators for a 2027 second-round draft pick. Les Canadiens ont acquis un choix de deuxième tour en 2027 des Predators de Nashville en retour du défenseur Jayden Struble. The Canadiens have acquired a 2027 second-round pick from the Nashville Predators in exchange for defenseman Jayden Struble. pic.twitter.com/MeM2DXQLQL— Canadiens Montréal (@CanadiensMTL) October 9, 2026 The draft pick originally belonged to the Vegas Golden Knights. Struble was a healthy scratch on Thursday night against the Predators, as Adam Engström drew into the lineup and played well next to Arber Xhekaj. The 25-year-old was drafted in the second round (46th overall) in the 2019 NHL Draft. He played in three games this season and does not have a point. He has seven goals and 28 assists in 174 career NHL games. He also played in 14 playoff games. This trade likely indicates that Kaiden Guhle is nearing a return, and that the team feels Engström is capable of holding down the fort in the NHL. The Canadiens host the Detroit Red Wings on Saturday as they look to snap a three-game losing streak. Guhle has been practicing with the team since the season started. He was expected to miss four-to-five weeks, which would put him in line to return as soon as next week on that timeline.

Football colleagues and friends shared tributes for Mike Ditka following the death of the three-time Super Bowl Champion.

Tuesday's game wasn’t the cathartic experience the Canadiens were hoping for. It was was more like trauma relived, with the Hurricanes once again frustrating the Canadiens at every turn.

First period * Nick Suzuki makes a nice play to bat the puck out to the neutral from eye level and then not play it to allow his teammates to change, stopping an early shift of pressure from Carolina. * Juraj Slafkovský runs into a trap of two Hurricanes payers as he attempts to carry the puck out, turning it over in the neutral zone. It’s a panic from there as everyone tries to defend the slot instead of taking their assignments, and Taylor Hall scores from the slot. * It doesn’t take long for the reply. Brandon Bussi makes a save through traffic, but can’t control the rebound. Zachary Bolduc escapes Jesperi Kotkaniemi’s clutches and backhands in his second goal of the season. Zachary Bolduc gets the goal right back, 1-1. pic.twitter.com/R0NOG7n86M— Matt Drake (@DrakeMT) October 6, 2026 * Montreal breaks out as a five-man unit, dumps the puck in and goes after it. It comes around to Chris Kreider, who touches it back to Nick Suzuki in the high slot, and delayed snapshot fools Bussi to give Montreal a second goal on three shots. Chris Krieder with a nice set up for Nick Suzuki, and he snipes it. 2-1 #Habs pic.twitter.com/kAK5jALU0y— Matt Drake (@DrakeMT) October 6, 2026 * Carolina is playing the puck a little too easily through the neutral zone. Montreal is getting a bit too spread out on breakouts. * Jalen Chatfield sifts a shot on goal through traffic. It looks like Jakub Dobeš is going to catch is, but Jake Evans glides back and makes contact with his glove, leading the puck to deflect off a couple of players and into the net. * It all looks very similar to last year’s playoffs. Carolina is getting to pucks first because they’re better positioned and anticipating the play rather than reacting to it, and forcing the Canadiens to play pucks on their backhand. * Hall tries to keep an offensive shift going go slowing Alexandre Carrier down, and Montreal will get the first power play of the game. * The first unit has some issues passing the puck, but the second unit gets the job done. Play the puck around the end boards, no Hurricanes defender watches Bolduc in the slot, and he was time to accept Alex Newhook’s pass to find a hole and put Montreal back on top. Zachary Bolduc is on hatty watch with his second goal of the first period. 3-2 #Habs pic.twitter.com/0UrhJaAaFY— Matt Drake (@DrakeMT) October 6, 2026 * The Hurricanes can’t deal with Montreal’s forwards in their zone, so they decide to knock Cole Caufield down at the end of a shift. Both Caufield and Sean Walker will get penalties. As will Slafkovský, probably because Rod Brind’Amour complained loudly about the penalty of the game. * The penalty kill looks much more solid than the five-on-five defence, and the power play is dealt with rather easily. * Another hooking call is made on the Hurricanes. It’s Sebastian Aho complaining about this one. * Lane Hutson doesn’t do the drop-pass and Carolina wasn’t expecting that. Logan Stankoven has to chase him into the zone and trips him to put Montreal on a five-on-three. * They can’t do anything in the final 17 seconds of the period, but will have 55 more up two men to start the second. * Slafkovský is having a difficult night, looking a little nervous every time the puck comes near him. The coaching staff will need to calm him down in the intermission. Second period * They can’t find any lanes to get the puck to the net despite two extra skaters, and that is a wasted opportunity to put another goal on the board. * Carrier attempts to pin his man on the boards so he can play the puck first, but when Anderson swoops in to pick it up instead that is called interference. * Mike Matheson steps up to a spot Newhook is already in, and that leads a two-on-one off the entry. A quick snapshot from Aho gets through Dobeš’s five-hole to tie the game. * Arber Xhekaj gets beat on the boards by Kotkaniemi and reached with his stick in desperation to slow him down. It’s another Montreal penalty. * Jackson Blake skates into the crease and sticks out his elbow to get Dobeš in the head. That’s the second goalie interference penalty the Canadiens’ opponents have taken in three games. * The Hurricanes are getting odd-man rushes by picking off Montreal’s stretch passes. They need to play a little more conservatively, especially in the second period. * Carolina attempts to get another one, but they do it with an early line change, and Montreal is back on the power play. Martin St-Louis is drawing something up for this one. * Chris Kreider has his stick chopped in half as he goes to deflect in a Hutson pass. The refs are tired of hearing Brind’Amour yell at them I guess and let that one go. * Noah Dobson gets the puck in the corner and sends it into his own slot. Mark Jankowski makes it 4-3. * Montreal is being outshot by a 3:1 margin, 27-9. * Dobson gets beat by Hall. Hall reaches down to grab his stick on the way by to draw a hooking call, but gets a holding call of his own in the process. * Slafkovský looks much more composed in the four-on-four, calmly dealing with the one-on-one pressure by using his reach to protect the puck. It almost leads to a goal off his entry, but the puck slides wide of the target. * Mike Matheson tries to shove Aho away from the crease but rakes his visor with his stick in the process. The call is roughing, but it was a penalty either way. * The period ends with the Canadiens down a goal, but a long way off in terms of their play on ice. Carolina had 17 shots to Montreal’s four. Third period * Phillip Danault’s line remains Montreal’s best tonight, getting chances off quick cycling. Bolduc very nearly has his third goal. * The top six, meanwhile, has been changed for this period, with Slafkovský back with Suzuki and Caufield. * Florian Xhekaj sets a screen for a shot from his brother, but Bussi makes his ninth save of the night. * Jordan Martinook gets his stick into Hutson’s face in the corner and sends him to the ice. The ref at centre ice is the one to make the call. * Suzuki skates across the crease but contacts Bussi. With three goals on 14 shots I don’t think he was trying to disrupt him, but contact was made regardless, and the power play comes to an end. * Dobeš comes out aggressively to challenge on oncoming J.T. Miller, and loses his glove in the process. Play continues for a few minutes with Dobeš playing literally with one hand behind his back. * The Canadiens came very close to tying the game short-handed, one of their best chances of the night. * A point shot comes in from the point. The puck hits Hall and Florian Xhekaj in the slot, and falls right where Hall can bang it in on his backhand. It’s 5-3 even though the Canadiens have been the better team so far in the third. * Dobeš goes to the bench with three minutes left. * Kreider tips a Suzuki point shot off the crossbar, but Slafkovský swoops in to save the situation on the rebound. It’s a one-goal game. Net empty, Slafkovsky gets a rebound and brings the Habs within one. pic.twitter.com/8sAhzPcJ8x— Matt Drake (@DrakeMT) October 7, 2026 * With the game on the line, the Canadiens have started to win puck battles for really the first time tonight. * Slafkovský’s rough night will come to an end by getting stood up at the blue line, turning over the puck and watching the Hurricanes make it 6-4. He’ll need a personal session with the coaches after this game to go over some things. EOTP 3 Stars 3) The Hurricanes really learned how to play without a goaltender over the years 2) Now to see him carry this start beyond three games 1) They didn’t even have their most important personnel