NHL Predictions: San Jose Sharks vs Montreal Canadiens, October 20th

The Montreal Canadiens host the San Jose Sharks on Tuesday night for their first meeting of the 2026-27 season. Montreal enters the matchup with a 4-3-1 record after a Saturday overtime victory against the Buffalo Sabres. Meanwhile, the Sharks arrive in Montreal on the second half of a back-to-back set, holding a 4-4-1 record following a Monday night loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Injuries will impact both lineups, as Montreal expects to be without Michael Matheson, Ivan Demidov, and Florian Xhekaj, while San Jose's Darnell Nurse is sidelined with an upper-body injury. Writer Lori Bennett anticipates Jacob Fowler will start in goal for the Canadiens against Sharks netminder Alex Nedeljkovic, noting the rested Canadiens enter the contest as betting favorites.