CANADIENS
Montreal

PREDATORS
Nashville

Game Report

Which was your favorite story line after the game?

“We can’t expect the Canadiens to win every night, after all, the Predators are a really good team!”

Or perhaps..

“Even though they lost, I’m celebrating. The Habs are the first team to 100 points!”

Well, in the NBA, there’s Lawler’s Law which states that the first team to 100 wins the game.  In the NHL, there is no prize for being first to the magical 100 point milestone. It’s meaningless particularly when four teams have 99 points and one of them, the New York Rangers, has two games in hand.

As far as the Predators being a good team, they are. And, with just eight games left in the regular season, soon every game with be against a very good team.

Coach Michel “No Excuses” Therrien blamed bad luck.  It may have just been a bad bounce in overtime when P.K. Subban turned over the puck to Filip Forsberg and was forced to take a costly penalty.  But by then, the players were well-aware at the condition of the ice; the puck had been bouncing all game long.  It probably wasn’t the ideal time for Subban to showboat.

Probably more egregious was Subban’s lazy, wide-arc, backwards curl in the first period that opened up the centre of the ice for Mattias Ekholm to score the game’s first goal after Tomas Plekanec had turned the puck over.

So maybe the defining statement about the game came from Brendan Gallagher who spoke about Nashville’s intensity and execution.  Gallagher said “teams that we’re playing have all upped their intensity,” and “they executed one more play than we did.”

In the playoffs, the Canadiens will require the maximum amount of each no matter who they are facing.  And they have just eight games left in the regular season to get it right.

The top two lines had their moments tonight but they must do a more consistent job of creating offensive opportunities which will either lead to scoring chances or drawing a penalty.  They weren’t getting many of either one in this game.

Lars Eller and Jacob de la Rose continue to play extremely well at both ends of the ice but are burdened by dragging around an anchor.  Devante Smith-Pelly does not have speed nor style of game to compliment his linemates.

After back-to-back outstanding games by the fourth line with Manny Malhotra at centre, the line was invisible in this game centred by Torrey Mitchell.  In the faceoff circle Mitchell was a sparkling 68 per cent but didn’t mesh with Dale Weise and Brandon Prust.

Jeff Petry and Alexei Emelin are forming a solid second pairing on defense. With three hits, one that lit up Filip Forsberg, Emelin is providing a physical dimension that opposition forwards have to be aware of when they cross the blue line.

▲     Carey Price, Brendan Gallagher, Max Pacioretty, Greg Pateryn, Andrei Markov, Alexei Emelin

▼     Devante Smith-Pelly, Dale Weise, P.K. Subban

1.  Filip Forsberg  NSH
2.  Pekka Rinne  NSH
3.  Carey Price  MTL

• “To win a hockey game, you need some breaks, and that’s a fact. They had a good break in the third period with their second goal, and even in overtime with P.K.’s penalty. The breaks just weren’t on our side.”

Max Pacioretty

• “We’ve got eight games left, so we’re trying to get better with every game and get into the playoff mode before it comes here. We liked the effort in the game played tonight, but not the result. We’re looking on to Winnipeg now.”
• “It’s frustrating, but we played a strong game. A bounce is the difference in that game, obviously. The ice is bad at the end there and the puck bounces over someone’s stick. That’s the way it goes sometimes, but you’ve got to give everyone in this room credit. Everyone played really well. I think it’s one of our better team games in a while. It’s frustrating to not get the two points for Carey.”

Brendan Gallagher

• “Teams that we’re playing have all upped their intensity. We went through a stretch where we needed to realize that and match that urgency level. I think we’ve been doing a better job of it and it showed against the Predators. It really showed in our play. We’re a much better team. We’re intense. We’re on pucks. When we’re rolling four lines like we are now, it’s fun to be a part of. They executed one more play than we did, and they deserved the extra point.”

Predators defenceman Roman Josi

• “It’s a huge win for us, especially after being down in the second period and coming back and winning the game. It’s a huge win. They’re a great team, they’re one of the best in the League. They play really well defensively, and obviously (Carey) Price is a big goaltender, so it’s tough to get a goal on them. We did a good job.”

Predators defenceman Mattias Ekholm

• “I think [Carey Price and Pekka Rinne] both made some unreal saves with their backs against the pipes a couple times. They’re obviously probably the two best goalies in the League, and they showed it again tonight, I think. They were just playing awesome.”

Predators defenceman Ryan Ellis

• “Tonight was just one of those nights we needed a bounce, and fortunately we got it. I think we played good enough to win and get other goals, but their goalie is one of the best in the league and he played well, too.”

Predators forward Filip Forsberg

• “I think it was probably one of the best hockey games we’ve played all year. They played really good, we played really good, so it was a really good hockey game overall. I think the fans really enjoyed it.”

Predators coach Peter Laviolette

• “Everyone is fighting for home ice right now, fighting to make the playoffs. Everyone is fighting for something. We knew it was going to be a tough game. They have had an excellent year and played well tonight. Our guys are confident we can be successful even when we are down one in the third.”