Steven Stamkos scored the lone Nashville goal as the Predators fell to the Montreal Canadiens by a 2-1 final on Sunday night at Bridgestone Arena. The result sees the Preds extend their skid to six games as the regular season enters the final two weeks.
As has been the case on multiple occasions as of late, the Predators outshot their opponent by a 2-to-1 margin and put forth a solid effort, but Montreal managed two goals early in the second period, and that was all they needed to earn two points.
“[It’s] just the story of the year, I guess,” Stamkos said. “We can't seem to score goals. The effort was there again. I applaud the guys for that. Certainly, for 55 minutes of the game, we had the puck, and a couple lapses, couple turnovers that led to some transition for them… Obviously, I would like to see us score another goal, maybe get one on the power play, but that's the year that has been, and it's pretty frustrating.”
“Same story, different night,” Preds forward Michael McCarron said. “It’s been really frustrating here to find ways to win games. It's like we have so many great opportunities and posts, and we probably played 55 really good minutes tonight. We had a five-minute lapse there in the second period. They scored two goals, and unfortunately, we weren't able to get more… That's hockey, and just another unfortunate way that the game ends.”
Just like Thursday in Dallas, Stamkos gave his club a 1-0 lead when he and Filip Forsberg capitalized on a Montreal turnover, and No. 91 slid a shot through the legs of Canadiens goaltender Jakub Dobes for his 25th goal of the season.
But in the second stanza, Montreal struck twice just minutes apart as Cole Caufield and Patrik Laine gave the visitors a 2-1 advantage through two periods.
The Predators continued to push in the final frame, and they finished with 37 shots overall, but they were unable to find the back of the net once more before the night came to a close.
A bright spot on the evening came as Preds rookie Matthew Wood made his NHL debut. The 6-foot-5 forward, selected by Nashville 15th overall in the 2023 NHL Draft, signed his entry-level contract last week and a solid showing in his first game in the League.
“It was a great opportunity, and really, really fortunate that I was able to experience that,” Wood said. “I think after the first period, I was a lot less nervous, and it was fun.”
“I was impressed,” Preds Assistant Coach Todd Richards said of Wood. “I thought he showed very well tonight. It's a real encouraging sign… As far as creating offense, he had some good looks himself, as far as shooting the puck. So I thought it was a really good first game for him, to kind of test the waters of the NHL, and so real positive for him today.”
Now, with just five games left to play on the schedule, the Predators will plan on not only continuing to put forth solid showings, but simply finding a few more goals along the way.
“This is the dog days of the season, when you're in the spot we're in, and we’ve got to find a way to bring energy into the rink,” McCarron said. “There's a lot of young guys in here that are fighting for jobs next year, and a lot of us that want to create a good culture in here, and it starts with some good work and a good attitude coming in every day. I know it's cliche, but coming here with a bad attitude, it's only going to get worse. So just kind of got to show up every day and do your job, so to say, and try to have fun with it.”
Notes:
Wood finished with one shot on goal and skated 20 shifts in 13:14 of ice time in his NHL debut.
Nashville scratched forward Jakub Vrana against the Canadiens, while both Colton Sissons (week-to-week) and Jonathan Marchessault (day-to-day) remained out with lower-body injuries.
Predators Head Coach Andrew Brunette missed Sunday’s game and remains away from the team to tend to family matters.
Nashville will wrap up their quick, two-game homestand on Tuesday when they welcome the New York Islanders to town - the fifth-to-last contest of the season for the Preds.
