Canadiens Shut Out Predators as Montembeault, Laine Continue to Star – The Hockey Writers Montreal Canadiens Latest News, Analysis & More

It took a five-on-three penalty for Patrik Laine and the Montreal Canadiens to break through and score on the Nashville Predators’ top-ranked penalty-kill unit. At a critical point in the contest, leading 1-0 early in the third period, Laine beat Preds backup Justus Annnunen with a wrister from the faceoff circle, to help lead the Habs to a 3-0 shutout victory.

The Canadiens scoring on a two-man advantage may not seem like much. However, they hadn’t scored under similar circumstances all this season and last, making it an incredibly rare occurrence. Another rarity in this one: In scoring a goal in both of his first two games with the Habs, Laine became the first to do so since Brian Gionta and Travis Moen each accomplished the same feat to start the 2009-10 season, per broadcaster RDS. 

Hutson Extends Record-Setting Point Streak

Canadiens captain Nick Suzuki and Lane Hutson assisted on Laine’s goal, pushing their respective point streaks to five games. In Hutson’s case, he had set a record for the longest point streak by a Habs defenseman 20 years old or younger with four against the New York Islanders the last time out on Dec. 3, making the record now five. Having won that contest 2-1, the now-10-13-3 Canadiens find themselves on a modest two-game winning streak.

Granted, it also took the Canadiens facing a tired team playing their backup after having lost to the Toronto Maple Leafs the previous night to string together multiple wins, to be fair. However, while the Predators started the night off slowly, they did pick up the pace as the game progressed. 

Related: Projected Lineups for Predators vs Canadiens – 12/5/24

Outshooting the Canadiens 13-5 in the final frame, the closest the Predators came to solving Habs goalie Sam Montembeault was with Kirby Dach off for slashing. Forward Gustav Nyquist kicked the puck in, unable to get his stick on it in time before it crossed the goal line, to make it legal. Montembeault ultimately picked up his third shutout of the season to help justify the faith Team Canada showed in him, recently naming the goalie to its 4 Nations Face-Off roster (to join teammates Laine and Joel Armia, who will play for Finland).

While Nyquist’s goal was immediately called off, the Predators soon enjoyed a five-on-three opportunity of their own when Jayden Struble soon got called for holding. However, it clearly did little good. The Canadiens far and away won the special-teams battle. Habs forward Jake Evans even opened the scoring while shorthanded early in the first. Armia rounded it out on his third attempt at the empty net late in the third (for his third goal).

The 7-14-6 Predators, who have now lost six in a row, did represent relatively easy prey for the similarly struggling Canadiens. However, the home-side Habs did have to make do with a surprise late scratch in defenseman Kaiden Guhle, who bowed out due to illness. The Preds end their four-game road trip Saturday, Dec. 7 against the Ottawa Senators. The Canadiens next host the Washington Capitals that same night in the hopes of earning their first three-game win streak of the season.