After a highly entertaining home opener on Tuesday night, the Montreal Canadiens were hoping to keep their game winning streak going by hosting the Nashville Predators at the Bell Centre.
Without the tribute and the home opening ceremony, the 2025-26 introduction video took center stage, and I must say it’s nice to see the torch projected on the ice for every game; seeing the rink light up in flames gets to me for some reason. As for the video itself, it’s an interesting change of pace; there are a lot of bone-crushing hits in there, and no longer just spectacular goals and saves.
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Taking More Shots
For a second game in a row, the shot clock stayed relatively low throughout the first 20 minutes. On Tuesday, Montreal could muster only four shots in the first frame, and on Thursday, they managed just six, the same amount as the Predators.
It’s not that the Habs played poorly, but at times, they’re trying one too many passes out there. Nashville aborted multiple chances, sticks getting in the passing lanes that shouldn’t have been tried since there was a good shot opportunity available. There’s something to be said about keeping things simple sometimes.
In all fairness, though, since training camp, the Canadiens haven’t focused that much on offense, something the coach has been quite open about:
Where we can improve the most is in the offensive zone; it’s not about spending more time there, but it’s about being more efficient. We die with the pucks in the corner. I think we can do a better job of it. We’ve worked so much on the other side of the game since the start of training camp that we’re a bit behind on that side, but I’d rather be behind on that side.- St-Louis on what his team can improve
With all the offensive talent he has at his disposal, that declaration makes sense. Tightening that side of the game was urgent, as falling behind and conceding five or six goals a game would be worse than missing some scoring chances.
Dobes’ Composure
Say what you will about Jakub Dobes, but he’s always ready when he gets the call, and he’s a calm and reassuring presence in the net. While he wasn’t tested too often in the game, when he was, he was sharp.
In the first frame, he made a great save on an odd-man rush, which resulted from Noah Dobson fanning on a shot at the opposing blueline. In the middle stanza, there was a weird bounce off the boards that nearly led to a goal, as he had come out to play the puck. Jayden Struble prevented the goal, but Dobes got back in a hurry to lend a hand.
When the Preds opened the score on a power-play goal off a Kaiden Guhle semi-block, he looked at his blueliner as if to say, 'It happens.' He stayed even keel; he has a way to handle himself that sends the message to his teammates that there’s no problem, they’ll get the goal back.
Furthermore, in the overtime period, the Predators got a two-on-zero, and the goalie stood tall; without that stop, there wouldn’t have been a game-winning goal with two seconds left.
On The Dynamic Duo
When Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield started playing with the Canadiens, they were both known as offense-first players, but a few years down the line, they are so much more than that. Suzuki receives Selke Trophy votes now, and as for Cole Caufield, his growth as a complete player has been phenomenal since St-Louis' arrival.
In Thursday night’s game, we saw Caufield shine at both ends of the ice. Not only did he score the game-tying and the game-winning goal, but in the extra frame, when Mike Matheson broke his stick and the Habs were essentially down to two players instead of three, it was the diminutive forward who put the pressure necessary to lead to the whistle and allowed the Canadiens to survive a tricky situation. Just a year ago, that broken stick would have put an end to the night, but not anymore.
Speaking to the media after the game, Hutson explained how he feels the chemistry between the two reminds him of the Patrick Kane-Johnathan Toews combination. Since he grew up a Chicago Blackhawks fan, that’s quite a compliment from the youngster, and one that makes sense.
In the dying minutes of overtime, Suzuki missed a good scoring chance, and when the puck came to him again, he didn’t try for the shot; instead, he passed it to his partner in crime. Caufield made no mistake, scoring his second goal of the night and his fifth of the season. This duo makes the Canadiens an exciting team to watch, and it appears to be the case for the foreseeable future, with this young core locked up for years to come.
After two Hollywood-style wins in as many games at home, one has to wonder if the Canadiens forgot to introduce the script writer when they introduced the staff on Tuesday night. No moment was more impressive than when Hutson made a save in front of the empty net. For half a quarter of a second, he looked like he was thinking, “ouch, that hurt,” but then, gamer mode kicked in, and he launched the perfect pass to send Caufield on his way to to tie up the game. Finally, it’s worth mentioning that Struble did very well in his first game of the season. He spent nearly 14 minutes on the ice and made quite a few noticeable defensive plays, showing no sign of rust whatsoever.
The Canadiens will have a well-deserved day off on Friday before getting back to work on Saturday morning, ahead of their duel with the New York Rangers at the Bell Center.
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