Breaking down the Habs side of the game versus the Preds

With the Montreal Canadiens travelling to Nashville to play the Central Division’s seventh-best Predators, it appears like an unfair matchup, but the NHL is the best league in the world for a reason.

On any night, any club can win - these are the best players in the world - and no game is to be taken lightly.

Onto the several Habs storylines

Lane Hutson is in hot pursuit of a Stanley Cup berth for the Habs, and in doing so, the prospect of matching Chris Chelios has to be on his mind. Hutson’s next point, his 64th, will tie him with Chelios for the most points by a Canadiens rookie defenseman in NHL history. 

Cole Caufield scored his 35th goal against the Boston Bruins, but was held off the scoresheet against the Philadelphia Flyers. Having said that, No. 13 has six games to try and score 40 goals - which hasn’t been done since 1993-94 (Vincent Damphousse).

Nick Suzuki, meanwhile, has been more dangerous than a bathroom break after eating a block of St Albert’s cheese. Since returning from the Four Nations Face-Off, the Canadiens captain has scored 31 points (12-19-31) in 20 games and sits one shy of tying the best single-season point total by a Canadiens player since 2007-08 (Alex Kovalev; 84 points)

Juraj Slafkovsky scored 50 points (20-30-50) in his sophomore season (2023-24) in 82 games, and he currently sits at 17-31-48 through 73 games - leaving him six more games to establish a new career-high for points (50-plus). 

Oliver Kapanen has played a total of 13 games with the club, split by his 36 games (15-20-35) with Timrå IK in the Swedish SHL, and six playoff games (2-1-3), and he has yet to find his first NHL goal - certainly achievable with six games remaining this season.

Let’s talk about the game

Jakub Dobes got the call between the pipes, and veteran sniper Steven Stamkos put the Predators on the board with just under 16 minutes to play.

Nashville has come out and destabilized the Habs early, though one team is on a four-game winning streak, and the other on a five-game losing skid. 

This feels like a trend that needs to be broken soon - late starts are tough, because you have to play from behind out of the gate. It sharpens the fighter’s mentality, but it’s not great for team morale.

Montreal needs to get something started, much like they did on Saturday night after they failed to score until Brendan Gallagher’s tally two minutes into the third to tie the game against the Flyers.

This isn’t an encouraging trend with five games and change to to go. 

Michael Pezzetta and Andreas Englund dropped the gloves, but No. 55 got the rough end of the stick - he tuned Pezzetta pretty good. 

Predators defenseman Spencer Stastney is off to the box for slashing Jake Evans, so the Habs have their chance on the man advantage. 

Nashville forced a turnover in front of Dobes, and Michael McCarron scored a shorthanded tally to put the Predators up 2-0. This feels familiar, and this isn’t a good thing. 

Martin St. Louis is challenging the goal for goaltender interference prior to the puck crossing the line. Nick Blankenberg made contact with Dobes, but the referee’s will give the verdict.

The goal was overturned, much to the delight of Marty, and the Habs’ bench.

1-0 Predators.

With 5:50 to go in the first, Nashville has doubled up on Montreal with the 6-3 shot edge.

Jayden Struble is off to the box for hooking, giving the Predators a chance to get their overturned goal back.

One minute remains, and the Predators are pressing for another goal. Montreal survived a late onslaught, thanks to Dobes and Kaiden Guhle.

Second Period

Two minutes and change into the second, Cole Caufield has knotted the game at 1-1 with his 36th of the year. Suzuki has his 84th point of the season, with the lone assist.

Patrik Laine caught Jusse Saros sleeping with a nasty snipe, off a great feed in his office from Lane Hutson, who now has 64 points. Laine has his 20th goal of the season, and Newhook drew the secondary assist.

Nashville is off the power play - Guhle got two minutes for unsportsmanlike. Juraj Slafkovsky and Marc Del Gaizo had offsetting minors for roughing.

Montreal leads into the final 3:20 of the period.

Ryan O’Reilly drew a power play against Guhle for holding. The Predators are 0-2 and haven’t scored in their last four games on the man advantage.

The period ended with a great save by Dobes on rookie Matthew Wood.

Third Period

Nashville starts the period with  seconds of power play time carrying over from the second period.

Montreal killed it off, but found their way back to it about seven minutes later. After not much happened.

Nashville has pushed hard, dominating the shot clock. But Dobes has tightened up since allowing the first goal.

2:33 remains, and so does the one-goal lead for the CH.

Saros is on the bench. And 1:12 remains on the clock, with both teams discussing the ensuing faceoff. 

Montreal hangs on for the 2-1 win.