3 takeaways from the Montreal Canadiens 6-5 overtime loss to the Penguins

The Montreal Canadiens were looking to have their first 2-0 start since the 2015-16 season and were going to have to do it on the road against the Pittsburgh Penguins. They would jump out to an early 1-0 lead in the first period before it was all Pittsburgh.

The Penguins would score five straight to take a commanding 5-1 lead in the second period. It was a game of momentum swings and Montreal refused to give up and scored four straight, including the tying goal with less than a minute remaining in regulation.

Unfortunately, the Canadiens got caught on a line change in overtime that allowed Pittsburgh to get a 2-on-1 rush and score the winning goal. While the Canadiens didn't get the win, leaving Pittsburgh with one point is impressive given how the game went.

These are three key takeaways from the game on Saturday night for the Montreal Canadiens.

Canadiens' top line comes alive to drive the comeback

The Montreal Canadiens top line of Cole Caufield, Nick Suzuki, and Chris Kreider was pretty much invisible against the Toronto Maple Leafs in the season opener. However, that wasn't the case against the Pittsburgh Penguins, and this trio kept the Canadiens in this game, accounting for four of the five goals Montreal had against Pittsburgh.

All three players had at least two points, with Cole Caufield scoring two goals, Chris Kreider having a goal and an assist, but Nick Suzuki led the way with four points (1 goal, 3 assists).

This trio showed exactly why Martin St. Louis put them together to begin training camp, and they seemed to finally click in the second half of this game.

Canadiens showed their resiliency, fighting back in the third period

This game looked to be all but over in the second period as the Pittsburgh Penguins would score five straight goals, including two on the power play. However, the Canadiens refused to give up and would score four straight, including two in the final two minutes of the third period to force it to overtime.

While it was a team effort, it was really Nick Suzuki who was the driving force behind this comeback. He had the first goal of this comeback towards the end of the second period that was essentially a one-man show as he cut through the entire Penguins defense to make it 5-2.

Then in the third period, he had the primary assist on the final two goals of the period, one by Chris Kreider and one by Ivan Demidov. This is exactly why Nick Suzuki is the perfect captain for this team and one of the best centers in the league.

Alexandre Carrier left early and is an injury to watch for Montreal

The Montreal Canadiens are going to be leaving Pittsburgh with some questions on their blueline, as Alexandre Carrier left in the second period with an injury. He wouldn't return in the third period, and it remains to be seen how serious the injury is.

If Carrier misses any additional games, the Canadiens have some options for how they replace him. The first possibility is Kaiden Guhle, who has missed the start of the season and was expected to miss a few weeks. However, he has been skating at practice in a non-contact jersey, so he might be close but not close enough for Monday against Carolina.

If Guhle is unavailable, then Adam Engstrom is the logical replacement, with the Canadiens maybe calling up David Reinbacher from Laval to be the extra defenseman.

As noted, the Canadiens return to Montreal for their home opener on Monday night against the Carolina Hurricanes in a rematch of the Eastern Conference Finals.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow