The Montreal Canadiens scored twice in six seconds on their way to a comeback win over the Nashville Predators.
GAME RECAP | Montreal Canadiens 4 vs Nashville Predators 3 | FINAL/OT
The Montreal Canadiens defeated the Nashville Predators 4-3.Canadiens Lineup
Forwards
22 Cole Caufield - 14 Nick Suzuki - 20 Juraj Slafkovsky
89 Joshua Roy - 15 Alex Newhook - 40 Joel Armia
11 Brendan Gallagher - 71 Jake Evans - 17 Josh Anderson
70 Tanner Pearson - 49 Rafael Harvey-Pinard - 56 Jesse Ylonen
Defensemen
8 Mike Matheson - 21 Kaiden Guhle
72 Arber Xhekaj - 58 David Savard
47 Jayden Struble - 54 Jordan Harris
Goaltenders
Starter: 34 Jake Allen
Alternate: 35 Sam Montembeault
Out of the lineup
Scratches: Cayden Primeau, Michael Pezzetta, Johnathan Kovacevic
Injuries: Carey Price (knee), Chris Wideman (back), Kirby Dach (knee), Christian Dvorak (upper body), Colin White (upper body)
Game Report
The Canadiens ended the eight game winning streak of the Predators with an overtime victory in Nashville.
The Predators looked to have the contest well in hand with a 2-0 lead midway through the second period. Nashville's top line was having their way with the opposition, with Filip Forsberg scoring his 30th goal of the season in the first period and his linemate Gustav Nyquist potting his 17th marker, just over five minutes into the middle frame. Juraj Slafkovsky was victimized on both goals, being in the right position to make a defensive play but unable to do anything about it.
Then, in unlikely fashion, the Canadiens scored twice within six seconds. Brendan Gallagher received a feed from Jake Evans and wristed a shot past Juuse Saros. Off the ensuing faceoff win, David Savard dumped the puck along the glass into the Predators zone from the red line. The puck hit a stanchion and caromed into the Nashville goal with a helpless Saros looking on from behind the net.
The feat is tied for the fourth fastest two goals in Canadiens history. The goals brought the game even and gave the Habs new life. It also helped to obscure the fact that the Canadiens number one line was being crushed by their counterparts at five-on-five throughout the match.
The two teams exchanged goals in the third period. Joshua Roy scored his second career NHL goal just after the Predators top line struck again with Ryan O'Reilly notching his 23rd.
Despite his difficult game at five-on-five, Nick Suzuki ended the contest just 17 seconds into overtime. It was Suzuki's 25th goal of the season and the 100th goal of his NHL career.
Game Statistics
Canadiens (24-28-10)
Shots: 30
Face-off %: 46.2
Power play: 0/2
Penalty minutes: 9
Hits: 20
Blocks: 15
Predators (35-25-3)
Shots: 28
Face-off %: 53.8
Power play: 0/2
Penalty minutes: 9
Hits: 15
Blocks: 18
Scoring Summary
Canadiens Scorers
1st period: --
2nd period: Gallagher (10), Savard (5)
3rd period: Roy (2)
OT: Suzuki (25)
SO: --
Predators Scorers
1st period: Forsberg (30)
2nd period: Nyquist (17)
3rd period: O'Reilly (23)
OT: --
SO: --
Goaltenders
MTL: Allen (W) 6-12-3
NSH: Saros (OTL) 26-21-3
Canadiens Player of the Game
Jake Allen - Allen picked up a win with a strong effort against a talented Nashville team.
Video Highlights
Post-game Quotes
Martin St. Louis
"We were facing a team that had won its previous eight games, that had beaten big teams. It was a big challenge tonight, but I was confident because of the way we've been performing recently. I'm proud of the guys."
David Savard
"The team needed [a win] for morale. We have to continue to collect points, to compete against good teams, and that's what we did tonight."
Up Next
The Canadiens end their four-game road trip on Thursday night in Raleigh as they face the Carolina Hurricanes.
You can find a livestream watch-a-long for Habs fans for Thursday's game on the Rocket Sports YouTube channel. Be sure to subscribe!
Be sure to bookmark THN.com/Montreal for year-round coverage of the Montreal Canadiens, Laval Rocket, and Habs prospects playing in leagues around the world.
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