Nashville Predators Lineup Change Before Faceoff in Boston

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Nashville Predators celebrating a goal against the Minnesota Wild on October 1, 2026.

After missing the last four games, Nashville Predators forward Mavrik Bourque will be back in the lineup.

The Nashville Predators open a quick two-game road trip tonight against the Boston Bruins. They’ll play the Pittsburgh Penguins on Saturday before returning to Tennessee for a five-game homestand.

Head coach Andrew Brunette said on Wednesday, before leaving for Boston, that he was hopeful that Bourque would be back soon. He didn’t guarantee the center would return right after practice, but now Brunette will have a good piece back in the lineup.

“We’re excited to get him back if he’s ready,” coach Andrew Brunette said after practice.

Bourque has just one assist so far in his time with the Nashville Predators. It’s expected that he will be playing between Jonathan Marchessault and Alexander Kerfoot versus the Bruins.

Bourque is hopeful to get going offensively

Settling into a new team and city can take some time, and the same goes for Mavrik Bourque

Now that he’s back with the Predators after suffering an upper-body injury against the Montreal Canadiens, Bourque is aiming to find a groove with his new teammates.

“If I can get back out there and find something similar with (Marchessault) and (Kerfoot), just create some chemistry, it will make (the offense) a little easier,” Bourque said.

The 24-year-old also said that coming back from his injury took ‘more time than I was expecting,’ and was hopeful to be back for tonight’s game.

Last season in Dallas, Bourque had just two points through his first four games. He began to find his game in November and December as he scored 10 points in 29 games. In January last season, Bourque’s season began to take off as he picked up 8 points in 15 games.

From February to April, to close out the 2025-26 campaign, Bourque had 20 points in 27 games for the Stars. He had 10 even-strength goals over this stretch, which helped Dallas reach the postseason.

Now Bourque is poised to jump into the lineup and make more of a difference in Nashville.

Lyubushkin could make Predators debut in Boston

Defenseman Ilya Lyubushkin may be making his Nashville Predators debut tonight in Boston. He was seen skating with defenseman Brady Skjei at Wednesday’s practice during line rushes and a handful of drills.

Lyusbushkin was part of the trade that sent Mavrik Bourque to the Nashville Predators this summer. The Russian defender has not played through the opening 8 games and will be looking to make an impression out of the gate.

The Predators have depth on the blue line right now but are still trying to sort out who will belong in the long-term plan.

Lyubushkin cleared waivers alongside Nick Perbix on September 28, so any team that was interested in him could have already decided to add him for free.

One thing to keep in mind for Lyubushkin and Perbix is that once a player has skated in 10 games or been rostered for 30 days, whichever comes first. These players would have to go back on waivers if the intent was to be assigned to the AHL, or see if any other team could claim the player.

Perbix has played in 8 games and is getting close to the 10-game mark. Both his and Lyubushkin’s clocks will reset for waivers on October 28.