Nashville @ Montreal preview
Bell Centre
Last Meeting ( Mar 5, 2024 ) Montreal 4, Nashville 3
Five consecutive games at home might be just what the Montreal Canadiens need to escape their current predicament at the bottom of the Eastern Conference.
They'll try to begin by stringing together consecutive wins when the Nashville Predators visit on Thursday.
The Canadiens opened the extended homestand at Bell Centre with a 2-1 overtime victory against the New York Islanders on Tuesday.
Patrik Laine made his season debut delayed by a sprained knee and opened the scoring. Captain Nick Suzuki converted 2:39 into the extra session.
"We all love playing here, and so do other teams," Suzuki said. "We have to bring it every single night at home. They're (the opposition) amped up to play here. I think in my few years here we haven't really played well at home -- especially record wise, but I feel like we've been playing better at home."
The Eastern Conference cellar-dwelling Canadiens are 6-5-2 at home this season. That's a respectable showing given the team has been saddled with a losing record at home in each of the previous three campaigns.
"We know where we stand, and we got to catch up in the win column, and I think being at home, being hard to play at home, I think it should help us," Montreal coach Martin St. Louis said. "But once the puck drops there's a game to be played, and that's what we're going to focus on."
Suzuki (three goals, four assists) and rookie defenseman Lane Hutson (five assists) are riding four-game point streaks. Suzuki leads the team in points (26) and is tied for top honors in assists (16) with Hutson.
Laine logged 17:27 of ice time and registered two shots on goal in his first action since sustaining his injury in a preseason game on Sept. 28.
"It was great," Laine said of playing on Tuesday. "I felt ... a little rusty, but we got the two points, so that's really all that matters."
The Predators saw their losing streak extend to a season-high-tying five games (0-2-3) and dropped to 2-7-4 on the road with their 3-2 setback to the Toronto Maple Leafs on Wednesday.
Nashville has scored only two goals in each game during its skid.
Jonathan Marchessault recorded his 500th career NHL point by scoring early in the first period. Captain Roman Josi notched an assist to extend his point streak to six games (five goals, four assists).
Predators workhorse goaltender Juuse Saros likely will receive a breather after recording 25 saves on Tuesday, opening the door to the potential team debut of Justus Annunen. The 24-year-old was acquired along with a sixth-round pick in the 2025 NHL Draft from the Colorado Avalanche on Saturday for fellow goaltender Scott Wedgewood.
"I think it's a great opportunity for me to learn from one of the best goalies in the league right now," Annunen said of Saros. "And the goaltending department here, I've only heard a lot of good things. So I'm really excited to get the opportunity to work with all those guys and have a mentor like Juuse, to watch how he practices and plays ... and get to know him. So it's a perfect spot for me at this point in my career."
--Field Level Media