In the compressed theater of overtime hockey, Filip Forsberg needed only 11.1 seconds to settle a contest that had refused to yield all night. Nashville and Montreal traded leads and answered each other's urgency across three periods, a back-and-forth that spoke to the stubborn parity of two teams navigating difficult stretches of a long season. The Predators' 4-3 victory was less a statement of dominance than a reminder that in sudden-death sport, fortune and precision are nearly indistinguishable.
Forsberg's OT heroics lift Predators past Canadiens 4-3
Forsberg's finish came swiftly, a reminder that in sudden-death hockey, the margin between victory and defeat measures in single seconds.
Mark
What made this game worth watching? It sounds like a typical overtime finish.
Mimi
It wasn't the structure that mattered — it was the rhythm. These teams traded goals four times in regulation. Neither could put the other away. That kind of back-and-forth keeps you honest.
Luke
Right, but let's be clear: Montreal had the better goaltending performance. Allen made 40 saves. Saros made 20. Montreal just couldn't finish.
Mark
Tolvanen's goal seemed significant. A 22-game drought is a long time.
Mimi
It was. He hadn't scored since opening night. For a young player, that kind of drought can weigh on you. Getting that goal back — even in a win — matters for what comes next.
Luke
Though we should note: he benefited from a deflection. It wasn't a pure snipe. Not that it matters for the scoreboard, but context matters.
Mark
What about Kunin's night? The Gordie Howe hat trick on his birthday sounds like a story.
Mimi
It is. He was involved in multiple scoring plays, fought, and played with energy. That's the kind of all-around contribution that shows up in a box score but doesn't capture the full picture.
Luke
Though again — we're talking about a guy who fought and scored on his birthday. That's a nice narrative, but the real question is whether Nashville can sustain this. They're 2-1 in three games. That's not a trend yet.
Mark
And Montreal?
Mimi
They're struggling. Five losses in six games. This was a winnable game — they had chances, Allen played well — but they couldn't close it out.
Le Pouls
- A 22-game scoring silence ended for Tolvanen, and a 10-game drought broke for Suzuki — two players finding themselves again on the same fraught night.
- Montreal's Dvorak goal survived a Nashville challenge on goaltender interference, keeping the Canadiens' slim lead intact and the tension wound tight.
- Luke Kunin turned his 24th birthday into a Gordie Howe hat trick — goal, assist, and a fight — becoming the contest's most complete and unlikely protagonist.
- Neither team could land a decisive blow through sixty minutes, the score knotted at 3-3 as regulation expired and the stakes sharpened into sudden death.
- Forsberg collected Granlund's cross-ice feed and fired past Allen in the opening seconds of overtime, ending the night before it had barely begun again.
- Montreal falls to 1-5 in six games and faces Tampa Bay next; Nashville, steadier at 2-1 in three, carries its momentum toward a four-game road trip to Detroit.
In the compressed theater of overtime hockey, Filip Forsberg needed only 11.1 seconds to settle a contest that had refused to yield all night. Nashville and Montreal traded leads and answered each other's urgency across three periods, a back-and-forth that spoke to the stubborn parity of two teams navigating difficult stretches of a long season. The Predators' 4-3 victory was less a statement of dominance than a reminder that in sudden-death sport, fortune and precision are nearly indistinguishable.
Filip Forsberg needed only 11.1 seconds of overtime to close out a night that had kept both teams in constant negotiation. He took a cross-ice pass from Mikael Granlund and beat Jake Allen cleanly, giving Nashville a 4-3 win over Montreal that felt earned rather than fortunate.
The game's texture was established early. Eeli Tolvanen opened the scoring on a deflection of a Mattias Ekholm one-timer — a goal that mattered beyond the tally, as Tolvanen had gone 22 games without finding the net since the season opener. Montreal responded in the second period when Nick Suzuki, himself goalless in ten games, snapped a power-play wrist shot to the top corner. A subsequent Dvorak goal survived a Nashville challenge for goaltender interference, briefly giving the Canadiens a 2-1 edge.
Tanner Jeannot redirected another Ekholm shot to tie it late in the second, and Brett Kulak pushed Montreal back ahead 3-2 early in the third. It was Luke Kunin who answered — on his 24th birthday — with the equalizer, completing what hockey calls a Gordie Howe hat trick: a goal, an assist, and a fighting major against Kulak earlier in the period.
Regulation ended level, and Forsberg settled it almost before overtime began. Juuse Saros made 20 saves for Nashville, while Allen stopped 40 in a losing effort for Montreal, now 1-5 in their last six. The night also marked Colton Sissons' 400th career game, all in a Predators uniform — a quiet milestone inside a loud finish.
Filip Forsberg ended a taut Saturday night in Nashville with a goal that came down to fractions of a second. With 11.1 seconds left in overtime, he collected a cross-ice pass from Mikael Granlund and fired it past Jake Allen, lifting the Predators to a 4-3 victory over the Montreal Canadiens. It was the kind of finish that defines a game — not a blowout, not a comfortable margin, but a moment of precision when everything hung in balance.
The path to that final shot wound through six goals and two periods of back-and-forth scoring. Eeli Tolvanen opened the game for Nashville early in the first, benefiting from a deflection off his stick on a Mattias Ekholm one-timer from the left point. Tolvanen's goal carried particular weight: he had not scored since October 14, the season's opening game against Seattle, a drought that stretched across 22 games. The goal announced his return to the scoresheet after months of searching.
Montreal answered quickly in the second period when Nick Suzuki, playing in his first game with a goal in ten tries, snapped a wrist shot from the high slot during a power play. The puck found the top corner past Juuse Saros. Minutes later, Christian Dvorak appeared to give Montreal the lead at 2-1, but Nashville challenged, arguing goaltender interference. Video review upheld the goal after determining that while Dvorak had made contact with defenseman Alexandre Carrier, the play stood as called.
Tanner Jeannot tied the game at 2-2 late in the second, redirecting another Ekholm shot. The Predators' defenseman finished with two assists, his first multi-point night of the season. Early in the third, Brett Kulak put Montreal ahead 3-2 with a wrist shot to the glove side, assisted by Cole Caufield, who had carried the puck into the zone.
Luke Kunin leveled the score at 3-3 midway through the third period. For Kunin, it was his 24th birthday, and the night proved memorable in ways beyond the goal. He recorded what hockey calls a Gordie Howe hat trick — a goal, an assist, and a fighting major — after dropping the gloves with Kulak early in the period. He had also picked up a secondary assist on Tolvanen's first-period goal, making him a factor throughout the contest.
Neither team could break the tie in regulation, sending the game to overtime. Forsberg's finish came swiftly, a reminder that in sudden-death hockey, the margin between victory and defeat measures in single seconds. Juuse Saros made 20 saves for Nashville, which improved to 2-1 over its last three games. Allen stopped 40 shots for Montreal, a workmanlike performance that could not prevent the loss. The Canadiens fell to 1-5 in their last six outings, a stretch that has tested their season.
The game also marked a milestone for Nashville center Colton Sissons, who played his 400th career NHL game, all in a Predators uniform. The team drafted him in the second round in 2012, and he has remained a fixture in the organization ever since. Nashville heads to Detroit on Tuesday to open a four-game road trip, while Montreal hosts Tampa Bay the same evening, both teams searching for momentum in opposite directions.
Citations marquantes
Nick Suzuki scored his first goal in 10 games during the second period on a power-play wrist shot— Game summary
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