A late overtime goal in Montreal saw the Nashville Predators fall to the Canadiens by a 3-2 final on Thursday night at the Bell Centre. The result sees the Preds collect a point in the standings but ultimately fall for the second time in the midst of their four-game trip.
Steven Stamkos and Nick Perbix tallied on the night for Nashville, and Juuse Saros made 27 saves in net, but the Canadiens tied the game late in regulation before winning in OT with just three seconds left on the clock.
“Not a pretty game by any means, but 2-1 lead with 20 seconds to go, and unfortunate that we almost think we're going to get one there in the empty net, they turn around, make a pass, and it's a 2-on-1,” Stamkos said. “So, unfortunate overtime. You never know what can happen, obviously. But sucks when you're 19 seconds away from pulling out of the win and you only get one point.”
“We gave ourselves a really good chance to win, and every second counts,” Preds Head Coach Andrew Brunette said. “I think when [Jonathan Marchessault] had it [with an empty net], I think we thought it was over, kind of gave up on the play a little bit… so, a big learning experience in overtime on the wrong side of the puck with two seconds, three seconds left. Those little seconds killed us. The margins are small. We're not going to be a team that scores five every night, so those margins are tight.”
Neither club found the back of the net in the game’s opening 20 minutes, but on Nashville’s first man advantage of the night in the second stanza, Roman Josi found Stamkos, and No. 91’s one-timer deflected off a Montreal defender and in for his first of the season and a 1-0 Nashville lead through two periods.
Montreal evened the score early in the third, but soon after, Perbix tallied off a 2-on-1 for his second goal in as many games to put the Preds up once more. However, Cole Caufield tied the game with just 19.5 seconds to play in regulation before he then won it in the dying moments of overtime.
From here, the Preds will finish off their trip in Winnipeg on Saturday with a chance to complete the Canadian swing in a positive fashion.
“Try to go out and win a game and make it a half decent trip,” Stamkos said. “Defensively and stuff is getting better, not giving up many goals is getting better. It's just sometimes you need that killer instinct to put some teams away. And whether that's on the power play or 5-on-5, it's been a struggle, and we’ve just got to keep digging.”
“We were in a great position to get two points in a tough building against a playoff team,” Brunette said. “There's not a lot to complain about. We’ve just got to learn some little things. We kind of let some points get away in Toronto, and we let them out a little bit tonight. So, it's early in the year. These are great learning experiences - if we can learn from them.”
Notes:
Prior to Thursday’s game, the Preds assigned forward Joakim Kemell to Milwaukee (AHL). Defenseman Nick Blankenburg and forward Brady Martin were scratched in Montreal.
Nashville’s four-game trip concludes on Saturday night in Winnipeg when they take on the Jets before returning to Tennessee to begin a five-game homestand - its longest of the season - on Tuesday against Anaheim.
