Nashville Predators end Montreal Canadiens win streak with a shutout
The Nashville Predators put an end to the Montreal Canadiens four-game win streak by shutting down the Canadiens offence in a 3-0 victory on Thursday 18 November.
How it happened
After the first period it looked as if Canadiens goalie Carey Price was going to put together another stellar performance as he was instrumental in keeping the game scoreless going into the first intermission. Price was stone cold making 16 saves as the
Predators outshot the Canadiens 16-5.
The roles were completely reversed in the second period as the Canadiens dominated Nashville outshooting them 12-5, but Nashville scored early in the period through Marcel Goc who tallied his fourth of the season.
The Canadiens were then forced to chase the game but couldn't break through the Predators defence. The Canadiens even failed to take advantage of a 5-on-3 power play not long after the Predators had taken the lead.
In the third period the Predators increased their advantage when Cal O'Reilly tipped a puck in with his skate after Steve Sullivan had thrown the puck out in front of the net. The play was reviewed, but upheld as there was adjudged to have not been any intentional
kicking motion.
Marcel Goc got his second of the game just over two minutes later on a rather weak effort from just inside the blue line which fooled Price.
What they're saying
The Predators and Canadiens play each other but once a year, and once again, as he did back on November 14 of last year, Pekka Rinne recorded a shutout. "It's a funny stat, I guess," Rinne told reporters after the game. "But it's a credit to this team. We
had 55 shots on goal in that game last year (the Predators won by a score of 2-0) and we played well again tonight. These are a huge two points against one of the top teams in the League."
Canadiens head coach Jacques Martin suggested that his team may have grown complacent after putting together their four-game win streak as they did not battle with the same intensity on the night as they did in their previous games. "I can accept losing
when we have a strong effort, but we weren't good enough in a number of areas," he said. "It wasn't a matter of X's and O's, it was a matter of a lack of intensity to win our battles."
Despite the loss, the Montreal Canadiens remain atop the Northeast Division, although the Boston Bruins have two games in hand and are just two points back. The Habs get set for a highly anticipated matchup against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday 20
November.
The Predators did well to bounce back after blowing a 4-1 lead against the Maple Leafs two nights earlier. Although the Predators currently sit in last place in the Central Division, a mere three points separates them from the second place Chicago Blackhawks,
and they have four games in hand as well. They continue their four-game road swing with a game against the Carolina Hurricanes on Saturday night.
Tags: