On a Saturday night in Montreal, the Canadiens reminded a struggling season that momentum can shift in a matter of seconds — four unanswered goals in a single period transformed a tight contest into a statement. Nashville's Matt Duchene offered a remarkable individual act of resistance in the third, but the damage had already been written into the game's architecture. Some deficits, once opened wide enough, become less about the score and more about the story a team chooses to tell itself going forward.
Canadiens end 4-game skid with dominant 6-3 victory over Predators
Four goals in 37 seconds reset everything
Mark
So Montreal was really struggling—four games without a win. What changed on Saturday?
Mimi
They came out and built a lead early, then absolutely dominated the second period. Four goals in one frame. That's the kind of offensive explosion that can reset a team's confidence.
Luke
Though we should note that Nashville's goaltender Saros gave up five goals on 19 shots. That's not just Montreal playing well—that's also a goalie having a rough night.
Mark
And then Nashville came back in the third?
Mimi
Matt Duchene scored three goals in less than ten minutes. It was a genuine scare for Montreal.
Luke
But by then Montreal had already built a 5-0 lead. Duchene's hat trick was impressive, but it came too late to matter.
Mark
So Montreal's streak is over, but they're still not a strong team overall—5-13-2 is pretty rough.
Mimi
True, but this kind of win, especially the way they dominated for a full period, can be important for momentum and belief.
Luke
It's one game. Nashville is 9-7-1, so they're actually a decent team that had an off night. This tells us more about Saros's performance than about Montreal's trajectory.
Mark
Fair point. But for Montreal fans, at least the losing stopped.
Mimi
Exactly. Sometimes that's what matters most.
Il Polso
- Montreal's four-game losing streak had cast a shadow over the Bell Centre, making Saturday's game feel like a necessary reckoning.
- A disallowed Nashville goal in the first period quietly shifted the game's momentum before the real damage was done.
- Ryan Poehling's two goals in 37 seconds during the second period cracked the game open so decisively that Nashville's starter was pulled after surrendering five goals on just 19 shots.
- Matt Duchene mounted a stunning one-man comeback in the third — three goals in under ten minutes — pulling Nashville within striking distance and forcing a desperate pull of the goaltender.
- Tyler Toffoli's empty-net goal closed the door, and Montreal walked away with a 6-3 win that was both more comfortable and more chaotic than the final score suggests.
On a Saturday night in Montreal, the Canadiens reminded a struggling season that momentum can shift in a matter of seconds — four unanswered goals in a single period transformed a tight contest into a statement. Nashville's Matt Duchene offered a remarkable individual act of resistance in the third, but the damage had already been written into the game's architecture. Some deficits, once opened wide enough, become less about the score and more about the story a team chooses to tell itself going forward.
Montreal's four-game skid came to an end Saturday night at the Bell Centre, though Nashville ensured the Canadiens earned every point before the final buzzer.
Artturi Lehkonen opened the scoring early in the first, tucking home a loose puck in front of Juuse Saros for his first goal of the season. A potential Nashville equalizer was waved off when Luke Kunin's stick was ruled to have illegally lifted the puck — a call that would loom larger as the game unfolded.
The second period was where Montreal seized control entirely. Christian Dvorak converted a no-look backhand feed from Josh Anderson, Brendan Gallagher added a power-play goal off a Jonathan Drouin pass, and then Ryan Poehling struck twice in 37 seconds to give the Canadiens a 5-0 lead. Saros, having allowed five goals on 19 shots, was replaced by David Rittich.
Nashville's response came in the third and wore one name: Matt Duchene. He scored three times in under ten minutes — two on the power play, one at even strength — pulling the Predators within a single goal and prompting coach John Hynes to pull his goaltender for an extra attacker. It wasn't enough. Tyler Toffoli sealed the win with an empty-netter, completing a 6-3 final.
Samuel Montembeault made 33 saves for Montreal, while Toffoli, Drouin, and defenseman Chris Wideman each contributed two assists. The Canadiens move to 5-13-2; Nashville drops to 9-7-1. Duchene's hat trick was a remarkable individual effort — but it arrived too late to undo what the second period had already decided.
Montreal's losing streak ended Saturday night at the Bell Centre, but not before Nashville made them sweat through a frantic third period. The Canadiens built a commanding lead early and held firm when it mattered, defeating the Predators 6-3 in a game that looked decided well before the final buzzer.
Artturi Lehkonen opened the scoring just past the two-minute mark of the first period, recovering a loose puck in front of Nashville goaltender Juuse Saros and tucking it home for his first goal of the season. The Predators thought they had equalized moments later when Luke Kunin redirected the puck toward the net, but referee Corey Syvret waved it off, ruling that Kunin's stick had lifted the puck in illegally. That non-goal proved consequential.
Montreal's offense accelerated sharply in the second period, a stretch that would define the entire game. Josh Anderson set up Christian Dvorak with a no-look backhand pass early in the frame, and Dvorak buried his third goal of the season to make it 2-0. Brendan Gallagher extended the lead on the power play at 3:32, receiving a feed from Jonathan Drouin and converting cleanly. Then came the decisive sequence: Ryan Poehling scored twice in 37 seconds at 9:31 and 10:08, giving Montreal four unanswered goals in the period and a seemingly insurmountable 5-0 advantage. Saros, who had already surrendered five goals on just 19 shots, was pulled in favor of David Rittich.
Nashville's comeback attempt materialized entirely in the third period, and it was built almost entirely on one player. Matt Duchene scored three times in less than ten minutes—power-play goals at 6:36 and 12:53, then an even-strength marker at 16:27—pulling the Predators within one goal and forcing coach John Hynes to pull Rittich for an extra skater. But Montreal had enough. Tyler Toffoli sealed the outcome with an empty-net goal, finishing the 6-3 victory that snapped a four-game losing streak.
Samuel Montembeault, Montreal's goaltender, stopped 33 of 36 shots. The Canadiens improved to 5-13-2 on the season. Nashville, despite the late surge, fell to 9-7-1. Toffoli and Drouin each collected two assists in the win, as did defenseman Chris Wideman. For all of Duchene's heroics in the third period, it was not enough to overcome the damage done when Montreal's second period turned the game into a rout.
Citazioni salienti
Referee Corey Syvret waved off a Nashville goal in the first period, ruling that Luke Kunin had directed the puck into the net with his arm— Game official
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