Game 26: Montreal Canadiens vs. Nashville Predators
Start time: 7:00 PM EST / 4:00 PM PST
In the Canadiens region: TSN2 (English), RDS (French)
In the Predators region: FanDuel Sports Network South
Streaming: ESPN+, RDS, TSN+
No team was busier in free agency this summer than the Nashville Predators. A team known for its defensive play wanted to take the next step, and new general manager Barry Trotz made major moves to address the offence, insulating Filip Forsberg with Steven Stamkos and Jonathan Marchessault.
It was “a massive day for the future of our organization,” Trotz said after the dust had settled on July 1. “It’s a statement, I think, for the rest of the league,” he pronounced after what he and nearly everyone else thought was the biggest improvement a team made ahead of the new season.
Nearly two months in, they’ve made a statement alright. Their fans must feel they’ve been catfished after all the off-season hype for their new players because that major injection of offence has resulted in the lowest goals-per-game average in the NHL at 2.31. Steven Stamkos, whose time in Tampa Bay ended in a messy breakup, has seven goals on the season after scoring 40 with the Lightning last year. Marchessault, who hit 42 goals with the Vegas Golden Knights a season ago, has five. Even Forsberg is having a rough year after all the roster upheaval, on pace for just 54 points after his own 48-goal campaign a year ago.
A concerning part of their offensive struggles is that their power play is operating at around 21%. They are an average team at five-on-four, and still can’t generate enough offence to win games. They were able to earn a point streak by getting three consecutive games to overtime in the last week, but just can’t find the third goal needed to win a hockey game.
A team that was expected to finish with around 100 points and comfortably slot into the playoff picture is about as far from that projection as it can possibly get: two points up on the Chicago Blackhawks for last place in the league.
| Canadiens | Statistics | Predators |
|---|---|---|
| 9-13-3 | Record | 7-13-6 |
| 48.7% (23rd) | Scoring-chances-for % | 48.9% (21st) |
| 2.80 (23rd) | Goals per game | 2.31 (32nd) |
| 3.72 (30th) | Goals against per game | 3.16 (23rd) |
| 21.5% (15th) | PP% | 20.8% (17th) |
| 82.8% (6th) | PK% | 59.0% (1st) |
| 1-1-0 | Head-to-Head Record | 1-0-1 |
The Predators’ star acquisitions may be turning on themselves about a third of the way into the season. Montreal’s big-name addition has just arrived on the scene after an injury, and the feeling around Patrik Laine is very different. The crowd was waiting with bated breath in his Canadiens debut on Tuesday, and let it all out when he scored on the power play. He says he felt terrible physically during his first game in nearly a year, but you couldn’t tell by watching him play the game.
The atmosphere is a bit different around the teams heading into tonight’s game, even though Montreal is just one point ahead in the standings. Neither team is likely to make the playoffs, but that’s more acceptable for a young Montreal team. Even Laine is only 26 and could yet become a key piece of the Canadiens’ core when the team is ready to compete with the best. Nashville has a lot of money committed long-term to veterans (including another free agent, defenceman Brady Skjei) and needs to start seeing more immediate results — or else.
It should be a desperate team that visits the Bell Centre for tonight’s game, but it will also be a tired, dejected one after last night’s loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs in which they blew a third-period lead. An early goal from Laine to raise the spirits of a home crowd now just looking to be entertained may crush those of a Predators team that can only dream of what was supposed to be.
