The three Montreal Canadiens selected to the 4 Nations Face-Off were major contributors to a 3-0 shutout win over the Nashville Predators at the Bell Centre on Thursday.
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Goalie Sam Montembeault showed why Team Canada selected him with a 29-save shutout.
Finnish duo Patrik Laine and Joel Armia each lit the lamp. Armia was also a major reason Montreal’s penalty killers were a perfect 5-for-5 on the night.
Kaiden Guhle was a late scratch due to illness. Justin Barron took his spot on defence.
Predators goalie Justus Annunen kept the game close with a 27-save performance, including stopping 12 of 13 shots in a dominant first period for the Habs.
Jake Evans opened scoring at 7:50 of the first with a shorthanded breakaway goal. Habs lead 1-0 after 20 minutes.
Maybe it’s the arrival of the 6-foot-5 Laine, but the Habs are looking a little beefier of late. They outhit the Preds 26-19, including five by Jayden Struble in the first half of the game alone. This one in the second period on Cole Smith rattled the glass.
The score could’ve been more lopsided had the Habs not missed a few nets. Even David Savard had a wide-open breakaway chance exiting the penalty box.
The Habs still led by the slimmest of margins after two periods, but had an abbreviated 5-on-3 advantage to start the third period.
Laine went to work. Alexandre Carrier blocked Laine’s first shot, but the defenceman’s stick broke, and on the second attempt, Laine blasted the puck top corner, scoring his second goal in as many games. Lane Hutson and Nick Suzuki drew assists on the power-play marker. They both have five-game point streaks. Habs were up 2-0.
Lainemania at the Bell Centre was in full swing.
The Habs ran into penalty trouble in the third period with three straight infractions, but Armia and Evans held down the fort again. Evans nearly scored a second shorthanded goal.
After multiple attempts, Armia got his empty netter in the final minute of the game.
Laine scored a clutch goal, but last night was all about the defensive stalwarts. His line with Kirby Dach and Juraj Slafkovsky saw their responsibilities dwindle with the game on the line. Nashville’s inexplicably impotent offence saw a lot of Armia and Evans in the closing minutes. They led the way according to Hockey Stat Cards. The Predators have lost six straight and coach Andrew Brunette’s job is very much in jeopardy.
Speaking of Evans, he’s an unrestricted free agent at season’s end, and he’s in the process of earning himself a nice long-term deal. Will it be with the Canadiens? The liveblog commenters hope so. The Habs have some centres coming up in Owen Beck and Oliver Kapanen, but which team couldn’t use a versatile centreman?
3. “I’ve always been a believer that you win the special teams, and most times that leads to winning the game. Shorty, PP goal, and empty netter, plus I would have to add some very good goaltending by Monty. Nashville can cycle very well, they for sure have some offensive talent there, but my goodness they are a giveaway machine. I thought they got really good goaltending tonight, too.” — Doug Kirkby
2. “Evans, Armia and Heiny are an ideal fit on the 4th line. May never see Pez again.” — Mick Chow
1. “Montembeault has had a great week, he earned the shutout, and has shown why Canada chose him.” — Ryan Katz