Zach L’Heureux scored the lone Nashville goal as the Predators fell to the Montreal Canadiens by a 4-1 final on Saturday night at Bridgestone Arena. The result sees the Preds drop the final game of their homestand to start a back-to-back weekend.
Montreal outshot Nashville by a 9-2 count in the opening period, and the Predators were unable to solve Canadiens goaltender Jacob Fowler until the final few minutes of regulation in a game that saw the home team unable to convert through most of the night.
"I think they were just better than us,” Preds Captain Roman Josi said. “They were faster, especially in the first. Seems like they can really break out well. They got some good faceoffs, but all in all, they were definitely better.”
“I think the urgency level has got to rise,” Preds Head Coach Andrew Brunette said. “For tonight, we didn't execute. When you don't execute against a team like that - that's fast, young and hungry - you're kind of chasing it, and you play slow. We played slow a lot of the night, and therefore it's hard to sustain or get into any zone time and kind of get into our game when you don't execute.”
The Canadiens had a 1-0 advantage after the first period, and they added three more in the second stanza to take a commanding lead into the third. L’Heureux scored late in regulation, but that was as close as the Preds came as they lost their second straight game.
Now, as they head to Tampa for a date with the Lightning on Sunday evening, the Predators will be eager to regroup and get back to what has made them successful as of late - especially with just nine games to go and the playoff race continuing to tighten.
“We’ve just got to forget and move on,” Brunette said. “I mean, that's something we've been doing all year. We're still in it. The urgency level has to rise, though… We’ve got to find the urgency. And with those things comes the execution. If you don't execute, you can't play fast. We didn't play fast tonight.”
“Every game is a must win,” Josi said. “It doesn't matter who we play, and we need to get points. There's a lot of things we can learn from tonight and be better tomorrow.”
Notes:
The Predators dressed 11 forwards and seven defensemen on Saturday night with Ozzy Wiesblatt and Joakim Kemell serving as healthy scratches.
The Preds will conclude a back-to-back weekend tomorrow evening in Tampa before jetting off to California next week.
