Nashville Predators' Colton Sissons tips the puck past Montreal Canadiens goaltender Jake Allen during first period NHL hockey action in Montreal, Sunday, Dec. 10, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Graham Hughes
MONTREAL – Colton Sissons scored twice, Juuse Saros made 37 saves and the Nashville Predators held off the Montreal Canadiens with a 2-1 win on Sunday night at Bell Centre.
Captain Roman Josi pitched in two assists for Nashville (15-13-0), which lost 4-0 to the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday but has won 10 of the past 13 games.
Jake Evans scored the lone goal for Montreal (12-13-3), which beat the Buffalo Sabres 3-2 in a Saturday shootout. Jake Allen stopped 30 shots.
The Canadiens struggled on the power play all night, going 0-for-5. The Predators, meanwhile, were 1-for-2.
Defenceman David Savard returned from a 22-game absence due to a broken hand. Savard rejoined Mike Matheson on the Canadiens’ top pairing and replaced Gustav Lindstrom in the lineup.
Montreal sent defenceman Mattias Norlinder to AHL affiliate Laval to open up a roster spot.
The first period featured six minor penalties, with each team taking three apiece. Only Nashville took advantage. Sissons opened the scoring by deflecting a shot from Filip Forsberg on the power play at 11:41.
While Montreal’s power-play struggles continued into the second – drawing jeers from the Bell Centre crowd – Nashville doubled its lead 7:03 into the period when Dante Fabbro’s point shot bounced off Allen’s right pad and on to the tape of an unmarked Sissons at the side of the net.
Sisson made no mistake on the rebound, burying his second of the night and ninth this season into an open cage.
After being heavily outshot midway through the second, the Canadiens carried most of the momentum in the final 10 minutes.
Joel Armia appeared to cut the Predators’ lead in half with a minute left in the second off a scramble, but the goal was immediately waved off for goaltender interference with Brendan Gallagher buried in Saros’s crease – much to the dismay of the home crowd.
Evans, however, responded with a backhand past Saros with 35 seconds left to make it 2-1. It was the second goal of the season for Evans, and first since opening night against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Oct. 11.
Montreal carried that momentum into the third, outshooting Nashville 14-5.
The Predators took 8:59 to produce their first shot of the period – a breakaway chance from Cole Smith on the penalty kill that Allen turned aside as Montreal continued having problems with the man-advantage.
The Canadiens continued pressing through most of the period until Nashville’s forecheck and defence came on strong in the final few minutes.
Montreal held the puck in Nashville’s zone with Allen pulled over the final 1:30, but couldn’t score the equalizer on Saros.
PEARSON OUT
Canadiens forward Michael Pezzetta replaced Tanner Pearson in the lineup. Pearson took a shot off his left hand in the first period of Saturday’s win at Buffalo and did not return. The team said it would have an update on his status later.
The 31-year-old Pearson played just 14 games last season after missing most of the campaign with a broken left hand that needed multiple surgeries.
Montreal is already down forwards Kirby Dach (knee, out for season), Alex Newhook (lower body, 10-12 weeks as of Dec. 2) and Rafael Harvey-Pinard (lower body, eight weeks as of Nov. 21).
UP NEXT
Canadiens: Host the Pittsburgh Penguins on Wednesday.
Predators: Host the Philadelphia Flyers on Tuesday.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 10, 2023.
