Montreal Canadiens vs Pittsburgh Penguins Picks and Predictions for Saturday October 3 2026
The Montreal Canadiens visit the Pittsburgh Penguins on Saturday, October 3, 2026, with puck drop scheduled for 7:00 PM ET. Pittsburgh couldn’t have produced a more convincing opening statement, crushing Philadelphia 7-0 on Wednesday. Montreal enters after reaching the Eastern Conference Final last season, when the Canadiens finished 48-24-10 with 106 points before eventually falling to Carolina. Pittsburgh is listed around -110 in the early moneyline market, indicating an extremely competitive matchup. Be sure to check out our free NHL picks for more NHL predictions throughout the season.
Montreal Returns After a Deep Playoff Run
Montreal went 48-24-10 last season, finishing with 106 points and third place in the Atlantic Division. The Canadiens scored 279 goals while allowing 251, giving them a +28 goal differential.
Their postseason reinforced that the regular-season success was legitimate. Montreal survived a seven-game first-round series against Tampa Bay and then eliminated Buffalo in another seven-game series before Carolina ended its run in five games in the Eastern Conference Final.
Montreal also enjoyed considerable success against Pittsburgh last season, winning five of the six meetings between the clubs. That head-to-head history deserves significant weight even after Pittsburgh’s spectacular opening performance.
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Pittsburgh Couldn’t Have Started Better
Pittsburgh began 2026-27 with a 7-0 destruction of Philadelphia. It was the kind of opening performance that immediately gets attention, particularly after questions surrounding how competitive the Penguins would be this season.
The Penguins now return home with confidence and the opportunity to build on that performance. A seven-goal offensive output coupled with a shutout is about as complete an opener as a team can produce.
The challenge is that Montreal represents a substantial step up. The Canadiens won 106 points last season, reached the conference final and repeatedly beat Pittsburgh head-to-head. Saturday should tell us considerably more about whether Pittsburgh’s opener represented genuine improvement.
Montreal Canadiens vs Pittsburgh Penguins Picks and Prediction
Pick: Montreal Canadiens Moneyline
Montreal gets the slight edge despite Pittsburgh’s 7-0 opener. The Canadiens won five of six meetings last season and finished with 106 points before reaching the Eastern Conference Final. Pittsburgh deserves considerably more respect after dismantling Philadelphia, but Montreal provides a much stronger test. With an early market close to a pick’em, the Canadiens offer enough value to back their larger body of evidence.
Pick: Over 6
Pittsburgh just scored seven by itself, while Montreal produced 279 goals last season. The Canadiens also allowed 251, so this isn’t necessarily a matchup where Montreal has to win 2-1 or 3-2. Pittsburgh’s confidence offensively and Montreal’s scoring ability make the Over attractive at six, particularly because exactly six would provide a push at books offering a flat 6.0.
Final Picks: Montreal Canadiens Moneyline and Over 6
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