In the long arc of a struggling season, the Montreal Canadiens found a moment of clarity on Saturday night, dismantling the Nashville Predators 6-3 with a second period of rare collective purpose. Four unanswered goals in under eleven minutes spoke less to Nashville's failings than to what Montreal is still capable of becoming. Even as Matt Duchene's third-period hat trick reminded everyone that no lead is philosophically safe, the Canadiens held firm — a small but meaningful answer to a season full of questions.
Canadiens end skid with explosive 6-3 win over Predators
Four goals in eleven minutes, and the game was over.
Mark
So Montreal was down and out, and then they just... exploded?
Mimi
Not down and out—they were losing games, four in a row. But yes, the second period was something else. Four goals in eleven minutes. Poehling alone scored twice in thirty-seven seconds.
Luke
Wait—were they down going into the second, or did they build the lead from scratch?
Mimi
They were up 1-0 from the first. Lehkonen scored early. Nashville had a goal waved off for an illegal stick.
Mark
So Montreal added four more in the second. That's five total by the end of two periods?
Mimi
Exactly. Five goals on nineteen shots against Saros. He got pulled after Poehling's second goal.
Luke
And then Nashville scores three in the third. That's a different story than "Montreal dominates." That's "Montreal gets a lead and Nashville nearly claws back."
Mimi
True. Duchene's hat trick in the third—all three goals in about ten minutes—made it look like a game for a while.
Mark
But Toffoli's empty-netter sealed it?
Mimi
Yes. Final was 6-3. Montreal ends the losing streak, Nashville stays competitive but loses.
Luke
So Montreal's record improves to 5-13-2. That's still a struggling team that had one good period.
Mimi
Right. One explosive period. Whether they can repeat it is the real question.
Il Polso
- Montreal entered the game having lost four straight, carrying the weight of a 4-13-2 record and a season that had yet to find its footing.
- A disallowed Nashville goal in the first period kept the Predators scoreless and left the door open for what was about to unfold.
- Ryan Poehling struck twice in 37 seconds during a second-period eruption that sent Nashville's starter Juuse Saros to the bench, turning a tight game into a rout.
- Matt Duchene's hat trick — three goals in ten frantic third-period minutes — threatened to rewrite the story entirely, pulling Nashville within three before the window closed.
- Tyler Toffoli's empty-net goal sealed the 6-3 final, giving Montreal a rare exhale and leaving Nashville to reckon with a comeback that came just too late.
In the long arc of a struggling season, the Montreal Canadiens found a moment of clarity on Saturday night, dismantling the Nashville Predators 6-3 with a second period of rare collective purpose. Four unanswered goals in under eleven minutes spoke less to Nashville's failings than to what Montreal is still capable of becoming. Even as Matt Duchene's third-period hat trick reminded everyone that no lead is philosophically safe, the Canadiens held firm — a small but meaningful answer to a season full of questions.
Saturday night in Nashville, the Canadiens ended a four-game losing streak with an offensive performance that was equal parts cathartic and cautionary. Artturi Lehkonen opened the scoring early in the first period, converting a rebound in front of Juuse Saros. Nashville believed it had answered back, but a disallowed goal — Luke Kunin's stick deemed the instrument of a rules violation — kept the Predators off the board and quietly shifted the game's momentum.
The second period was Montreal's to own. Christian Dvorak made it 2-0 off a backhand feed from Josh Anderson, Brendan Gallagher added a power-play goal moments later, and then Ryan Poehling delivered the sequence that broke Nashville's spirit — two goals in thirty-seven seconds to push the lead to 5-0. Saros, having surrendered five goals on nineteen shots, was replaced by David Rittich. The damage was done.
Nashville's third period belonged to Matt Duchene. He scored twice on the power play and completed his hat trick at even strength with just over three minutes remaining, briefly making the scoreboard look like a different game entirely. The Predators pulled their goalie in search of one more, but Tyler Toffoli answered with an empty-netter to close it at 6-3. For Montreal, still mired at 5-13-2, the night offered something rarer than a win — a glimpse of what this team might yet be. For Nashville, Duchene's brilliance arrived too late to matter.
Montreal's losing streak ended Saturday night in a second period that belonged entirely to the Canadiens. They poured four goals through Nashville's defense in a span of less than eleven minutes, a burst of offensive urgency that proved decisive even as the Predators mounted a furious third-period charge. The final score was 6-3, a comfortable margin that masked how close Nashville came to stealing the game in its final twenty minutes.
Artturi Lehkonen opened the scoring just past the two-minute mark of the first period, recovering a loose puck in front of Juuse Saros and converting the rebound. Nashville thought it had answered moments later when Luke Kunin directed the puck past Samuel Montembeault, but referee Corey Syvret ruled the goal invalid—Kunin's stick had guided the puck in, a violation of the rulebook. The Predators would not get another chance to equalize before Montreal's offense took over.
The second period belonged to Montreal entirely. Josh Anderson threaded a backhand pass to Christian Dvorak at the start of the frame, and Dvorak made it 2-0 with his third goal of the season. Brendan Gallagher extended the lead to three on the power play at 3:32, receiving a pass from Jonathan Drouin and tapping it home. Then came the sequence that broke Nashville's will: Ryan Poehling scored twice in thirty-seven seconds, at 9:31 and 10:08, giving Montreal four unanswered goals in the period and a commanding 5-0 lead. Saros, who had faced nineteen shots and allowed five goals, was pulled in favor of David Rittich.
Nashville's third period was all Matt Duchene. He scored twice on the power play—at 6:36 and 12:53—before completing a hat trick at even strength with 3:33 remaining in regulation. The Predators pulled their goalie to press for another goal, but Tyler Toffoli sealed the win with an empty-netter, leaving Nashville at 9-7-1 and Montreal at 5-13-2. For a team that had lost four straight, the offensive explosion offered a glimpse of what they might become if they could sustain it. For Nashville, Duchene's three goals in ten minutes was a reminder that comebacks, no matter how spirited, sometimes arrive too late.
Citazioni salienti
Referee Corey Syvret waved off Nashville's first-period goal, ruling that Luke Kunin had directed the puck into the net with his stick— Game official decision
Vuoi la storia completa?
Leggi l'originale su Toronto Star ↗
Religion