Third straight loss, and a game that got away
The Canadiens controlled most of Thursday night at the Bell Centre, and it did not matter. Montreal led 2-0 in the second period, outshot the Predators 34-20 and still lost 5-2, their third straight defeat (0-2-1). The record is now 1-2-1, and a game that looked like a chance to reset ended with the Canadiens chasing the score again.
The night also came with a new situation in goal. Samuel Montembeault was hurt in practice on Wednesday, so Jacob Fowler was recalled from Laval and made his first start of the season, the 18th NHL game of his career. Adam Engström also made his season debut on defence, in for Jayden Struble, and Juraj Slafkovský was moved back to the top line with Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield.
A goal that did not count, then Montreal takes over
The first period ended 0-0, but not without a moment that changed the mood. Chris Kreider put the puck in at 1:36, and Nashville challenged for offside. The review took the goal away. Montreal then killed a Lane Hutson tripping penalty and kept the pressure on.
The breakthrough came at 3:12 of the second, with both teams playing four-on-four. Suzuki banked a backhand off a loose puck in a scramble in front and slipped it through Juuse Saros’s pads. It was his third goal in four games and his seventh point of the season.
At 8:50, Josh Anderson‘s forecheck forced Adam Wilsby to play the puck behind his own net, and Anderson sent a pass to Alex Newhook, who flipped a shot over Saros’s glove for a 2-0 lead.
The turning point late in the second
Nashville got one back at 15:06 when Alexander Kerfoot tipped a Wilsby point shot in front of Fowler. It was Kerfoot’s first goal as a Predator. Montreal was still in control at 2-1, but then Noah Dobson took a tripping penalty at 18:00.
The Predators scored on that power play with 32 seconds left in the period. In a pileup at the crease, Anderson drove Steven Stamkos into the left post and the net came off its moorings. Matthew Wood pushed the puck over the line, and after a video review the goal stood: 2-2. Anderson was sent off for cross-checking on the play, and Arber Xhekaj also received a 10-minute misconduct. Montreal had gone from a two-goal lead to a tie game in just over four minutes.
A third period of chances for Montreal, then the empty nets
The Canadiens stayed with the game. At 11:13 of the third, with the score still 2-2, Anderson got in alone and tried a snap shot, but Saros made the save with his left pad. Montreal had its chances to take the lead, but Saros stopped them all.
The game turned for good on another penalty. Mike Matheson was called for tripping at 15:45, and on the power play Ryan O’Reilly tipped a Roman Josi point shot past Fowler at 16:44 for a 3-2 Nashville lead. Montreal pulled Fowler for the extra attacker, and Adam Edstrom scored into the empty net at 17:23 and again at 18:34 to make it 5-2.
Special teams and shot totals
The special teams decided this game. Nashville scored twice on the power play, both goals coming after Montreal penalties late in a period. The Canadiens went 0 for 3 with the man advantage and are now 1 for 13 on the season, a 7.7 percent power play.
On the shot clock, Montreal had 34 shots on goal and Nashville 20, but two of Nashville’s shots were the empty-net goals. Fowler stopped 15 of 18 shots (.833), and Saros stopped 32 of 34 (.941). Saros was named the first star, followed by O’Reilly and Anderson. Caufield led all skaters with six shots and Slafkovský had five, but the top line did not score at five-on-five.
Coach’s Take
The Canadiens deserved to win this game. Nick Suzuki and Martin St-Louis both said it after the game, and I agree with them. Montreal controlled the play, and at five-on-five the gap was huge: 30 shots on goal to 12.
So why did they lose? Two things made the difference.
The first is special teams. The power play is at 7.7 percent and the penalty kill is at 70.6 percent. That is a huge problem, and it has been there since the start of the season. Tonight Montreal went 0 for 3 with the man advantage while Nashville scored twice on theirs.
The second is discipline at the most important moments. For the second game in a row, Noah Dobson and Mike Matheson each took a penalty that mattered. Dobson’s minor late in the second period swung the momentum, and Nashville tied the game on that power play. Matheson’s tripping penalty in the third period opened the door for the game-winning goal. These are veterans, and penalties like that are unacceptable.
It is only four games into the season, but I do not see consistent effort yet, and the cohesion is not there. Some players look like their season has not started. Juraj Slafkovský had another difficult night, even with five shots. Jake Evans, Kirby Dach and both Xhekajs also struggled again. The Canadiens have to find a way to play better as a group, with every player showing up and not just a few of them.
What comes next
The Canadiens now sit seventh in the Atlantic Division with three points through four games. They have little time to dwell on it: the Detroit Red Wings visit the Bell Centre on Saturday, October 10, at 7:00 PM ET. The goalie situation is still open with Montembeault out, and the power play, the penalty kill and the turnovers that hurt them against Carolina all need answers quickly.
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