- No Kaiden Guhle who is a late scratch with an injury. The degree of difficulty gets upped for this one, and maybe that’s not a bad thing in what could be a trap game.
First period
- Nashville shows zero jump to start the game, spending the first shift in their own zone. An early goal will go a long way here.
- The Predators have begun to get a few shots now.
- A couple of shots so far for Hutson, but no goal.
- An excellent setup from Hutson for Cole Caufield past three Predators players, but that’s just another play that should have been a point for the rookie.
- This is looking a lot like the first period versus the Islanders when the Canadiens were generating chances but not connecting at the final moment.
- Nashville’s power play is set to go to work after a too many men call. It’s the one situation where they can actually hurt you.
- They can’t hurt you when the puck is in their zone, and even less so when the puck is in their net. Jake Evans makes it happen short-handed.
Jake Evans with the shorthanded marker Habs up 1-0 on the Preds
— Scott Matla (@scottmatla.bsky.social) December 5, 2024 at 8:23 PM
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- Josh Anderson plays the puck around the net and tries to outskate his man back onto it, and gets geld. Why is that allowed to go when Jayden Struble was called for hitting a man half a second after he dumped the puck last game? That was clear interference that should have been called.
- Nick Suzuki accepts the pass outside the blue line facing the wrong way, and uses his Jaromir Jagr butt to back into the zone through four defenders for a mini break. If that had been a goal, they would have needed to reattach the roof on the Bell Centre for a second consecutive game.
- It’s good that Michael McCarron has carved out a career with the Predators. At the same time, I’m glad the Canadiens’ era of drafting third-liners in the first round is over.
- Hutson joins Anderson on a two-on-one rush. but Anderson couldn’t open up a passing lane.
- Now Hutson gives the puck away in his own zone, but there’s actual backing support to bail him out.
- Patrik Laine, Joel Armia, and Suzuki just had close-range chances in quick succession. Lots of scoring opportunities in this game.
- Mike Matheson is labouring getting up from being hit into the goalpost.
- Laine didn’t win the faceoff after Kirby Dach got shooed away, so there is one thing he doesn’t do well it seems.
- Caufield fires a shot off the crossbar.
- Montreal’s power play goes to work with a minute to play. Laine time.
- The top unit just had four shots in about 15 seconds. It used to take them 15 shifts to get that many.
- Eleven shots for Montreal. Before looking, I think they has several more scoring chances.
- Natural Stat Trick lists 14 scoring chances, so it played out almost exactly like the Islanders game. They had a rough second period on Tuesday, however, so hopefully they can change that.
Second period
- Being able to follow up a power play with a shift from Jake Evans and Joel Armia is a real luxury for Montreal. There are few moments for the opposition to let up, and that’s with about 40% of the players not playing in top form. If they could have just had a better start to the season….
- Laine sends the puck to Justin Barron standing all alone in the slot, but the defenceman thought a bit too long about what he was going to do and ended up missing the net.
- I would say Jayden Struble just stood a man up with a hit, but he actually knocked him back so far he toppled over backward.
- Nashville gets its first real shift of offensive-zone pressure five minutes into the second period, but can’t turn it into anything.
- The crowd just got way too excited about a Christian Dvorak breakaway.
- A Hutson giveaway leads to a shot off Montembeault’s post. Just a bit too eager to create an offensive rush there.
- David Savard was too strong on his hit, knocking his man into the boards. That will give the Predators another power-play chance. Or Evans another short-handed chance.
- Andrew Brunette tells Marc Denis he likes the Predators’ energy. Just how bad do they usually look?
- Nashville entered the power play with seven shots on goal and exited with 12. Montreal will need to stay out of the box.
- The crowd just got way too excited about a David Savard breakaway. That would have been crushing, for Nashville, though, after that power play they had.
- The teams are just trading high-danger chances right now.
- Nashville actually has carried some god energy since that power play, so I guess Brunette is prescient.
- Matheson just exploded past his own post through four Predators players, and they were so shocked that he even attempted such a thing that they tripped him. Extremely dangerous, but certainly effective.
- Now a chance to put a dagger in this Predators team that just played very well for 10 minutes.
- Hutson was standing at the top of the crease ready to fire the make a play on the puck, but Colton Sissons hit him before the puck arrived. He’ll sit for pass interference.
- Montreal survived the second period (19 scoring chances against). Now they can go back to their better form in a short-change period.
Third period
- It took a few looks, but Laine has his second power-play goal in two games. A wrister right to the top corner. What a shot.
Lmao you aren't stopping that shot by Patrik Laine 2-0 Habs
— Scott Matla (@scottmatla.bsky.social) December 5, 2024 at 10:02 PM
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- On the shift after the goal, the puck comes right across the top of the crease for Brendan Gallagher but he can’t connect. So many of those tonight They could have seven goals.
- That’s also Hutson’s 17th assist. It’s areal race between Hutson and Caufield for the highest one-column point total.
- Laine takes a stick in the face. Both refs miss it. Seconds later, Montreal is called for a penalty. I think they call this ‘game management.’
- The Predators put the puck in the net, but the referee immediately waves it off. Nashville is so desperate to score that they’re trying to kick pucks in now.
- After that Nashville looks much less dangerous.
- …Until Struble gets walked and grabs his man. Another penalty while defending on the right side, which is clearly not something he’s thriving with.
- Now the Predators are trying to shove Montembeault with the puck over the goal line. You have to give them credit for thinking outside the box. They’ll come out on the ice with one of those t-shirt cannons next shift.
- The penalties are killed. Ten minutes to go.
- Now Xhekaj is off to the box. Montreal is playing too much of this period in its own zone.
- This is also what you get for scoring on a five-on-three.
- Evans nearly had his second short-handed goal. Justus Annunen shut that one down.
- Armia hits the post from his side of centre with the net empty.
- Now he misses the net entirely, so an icing.
- Let Montembeault shoot.
- The third time’s the charm. That’s why he’s on Team Finland right there. No quit.
- Montreal will win 3-0, doing enough on special teams to beat a team that can’t score anyway.
- Hopefully a few more of these chances go for goals on Saturday versus the Washington Capitals.
EOTP 3 Stars
3) Just keep him on the left side, please
2) He did say he wanted to score 40 or 50 goals. He has time.
1) I saw this same sticky note in Kent Hughes’s office
