Three Things To Watch in Tonight's Predators at Maple Leafs Matchup

NASHVILLE — The Nashville Predators (1-1) and Toronto Maple Leafs (1-2) spent the offseason overhauling their rosters, and through the first week, both are still trying to figure out who they are. The two teams meet Tuesday night in Toronto, the first stop on Nashville's three-game road trip to the Great White North.

Toronto opened the season losing to the Canadiens and Senators, but defeating the Islanders, while Nashville split Central Division games with the Minnesota Wild and Dallas Stars.

Here are three things to watch in tonight's matchup between the Predators and Maple Leafs:

Nashville Predators Lineup Decisions

The Nashville Predators fielded 11 forwards and seven defensemen in Saturday's 2-1 victory over the Dallas Stars as head coach Andrew Brunette wanted to get a closer look at defensemen Jack Ahcan and William Trudeau. Which defensemen will be active tonight?

Ahcan played just over five minutes on nine shifts and added a point on the power play, while Trudeau played just over 12 minutes on 12 shifts and performed admirably, giving the Predators physicality and toughness.

Will Brunette turn to Ahcan or Trudeau against the Maple Leafs? Or will he give defenseman Ilya Lyubushkin his first action in a Predators sweater? Lyubushkin was a healthy scratch in Nashville's first two matchups after being traded to the Predators this summer.

Brunette's defensive decisions will likely drive the rest of the lineup choices. The Nashville Predators recalled KHL star Vitali Pinchuk on Sunday after one game in the AHL. Pinchuk can play center or on the wing, but his addition gives the Predators 13 forwards, meaning one likely sits with the NHL's 20 player game day roster limit. Forward Reid Schaefer was a healthy scratch in Saturday's matchup against the Stars, making room for the extra defender. Could he scratched again on Tuesday for Pinchuk to make his NHL debut?

Nashville's First Look at The 2026 Top Pick Gavin McKenna

The Nashville Predators get their first chance to see the first overall pick in the 2026 NHL draft, Gavin McKenna. The left winger is averaging 14:32 of ice time on nearly 18 shifts per game in his first three games. He has three shots on the season but is still looking for his first NHL point.

Can the Predators keep McKenna point-less? The 18-year-old is clearly talented, and he's playing on a dangerous second line with William Nylander and John Tavares. Nylander has two goals and three points, while Tavares has two points through the first three games.

Nashville's second line of Filip Forsberg, Matthew Wood and Nils Höglander looked dangerous in training camp and Höglander came up with his first Predators goal on Saturday against the Stars. The better second line in Tuesday's game could go a long way in determining the winner.

Predators Power Play vs. Maple Leafs Penalty Kill

The Predators scored just after the end of a power play on Thursday against the Minnesota Wild and scored twice on the power play against the Dallas Stars, but they technically have only two power-play goals this season and are officially two-for-seven (28%) with the extra-man advantage. Nashville has an 80-percent penalty kill rate through the first two games, allowing just one goal on five penalties.

The Maple Leafs boast a 100-percent penalty kill rate, keeping opponents off the board 10 different times through three games. The Leafs are two-for-11 on their own power play, but gave up a short-handed goal to the New York Islanders.

Nashville's only three goals this season have come in or just after power-play scenarios, but Toronto's been perfect at killing penalties. The special teams battle is the matchup within the matchup.

The Nashville Predators take on the Toronto Maple Leafs at 6 p.m. CT at Scotiabank Arena as the franchise opens up a three-game Canadian road trip.

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