The Montreal Canadiens looked firmly in control against the Nashville Predators on Thursday night.
Then everything changed.
Montreal built a 2-0 lead at the Bell Centre, controlled long stretches of the game and generated considerably more offensive pressure than Nashville. But the Canadiens failed to turn that dominance into enough goals.
The Predators scored five unanswered goals, including Ryan O’Reilly’s late power-play winner, to leave Montreal with a frustrating 5-2 defeat.
The loss extends the Canadiens’ winless stretch to three games and drops Montreal to 1-2-1 early in the season.
So how did a game that appeared to be going Montreal’s way fall apart?
From missed opportunities to costly penalties and uncertainty in goal, several moments changed the direction of the night.
The final score makes the game look much more one-sided than it actually was.
Montreal generated most of the pressure during the opening stages and eventually found its breakthrough early in the second period.
Nick Suzuki opened the scoring during four-on-four play, collecting a loose puck around the Nashville net before beating Juuse Saros.
The Canadiens continued applying pressure, and Alex Newhook made it 2-0 midway through the period after finishing a feed from Josh Anderson.
At that point, Montreal appeared to be in complete control.
The Bell Centre crowd was loud, the Canadiens were spending long stretches in Nashville’s zone and the Predators were struggling to generate much offensively.
But Montreal failed to turn that dominance into a bigger lead.
That proved costly.
This may have been Montreal’s biggest problem.
The Canadiens created enough opportunities to put the game out of reach but could not beat Juuse Saros often enough.
Saros finished with 32 saves, repeatedly keeping Nashville within striking distance even when Montreal controlled the puck and created the better opportunities.
That became especially important once the Predators scored their first goal.
Instead of facing a three or four-goal deficit, Nashville suddenly found itself only one goal behind.
For Montreal, the lesson is simple.
Controlling possession is valuable, but strong teams need to turn pressure into goals when they have an opponent in trouble.
The Canadiens did not do that Thursday.
The final minutes of the second period completely changed the game.
Alexander Kerfoot reduced Montreal’s advantage to 2-1 with 4:54 remaining in the period, redirecting a point shot past Jacob Fowler.
That goal already gave Nashville momentum.
Then came an even bigger turning point.
With just 32 seconds remaining in the second period, Matthew Wood scored on the power play to tie the game at 2-2.
Suddenly, Montreal went from controlling the game to entering the third period level.
The timing of the goal made it especially damaging.
Instead of taking a lead into the intermission, the Canadiens had to reset against a Nashville team that suddenly had confidence.
Montreal’s penalty trouble played a major role in the comeback.
Nashville’s tying goal came on the power play late in the second period.
Then another penalty created the opportunity for the Predators to take their first lead.
With the score still tied late in the third, Mike Matheson was called for tripping Steven Stamkos.
Nashville took advantage.
With 3:16 remaining, Ryan O’Reilly redirected Roman Josi’s shot from the point past Fowler to give the Predators a 3-2 lead.
It was Nashville’s first lead of the night.
For Montreal, it was also a reminder of how quickly a close NHL game can change when unnecessary penalties arrive at the wrong moment.
Against Detroit on Saturday, discipline will need to be better.
Before O’Reilly’s winner, Montreal had an excellent opportunity to regain control.
With around eight minutes remaining in regulation, Josh Anderson broke in alone against Saros.
A goal would have put Montreal ahead 3-2 and potentially changed the entire ending.
Instead, Saros made a crucial save with his left pad.
It became one of the defining moments of the night.
Nashville survived.
Montreal didn’t score again.
And only a few minutes later, the Predators took the lead on the power play.
That sequence perfectly summarizes the difference between the two teams Thursday.
Montreal had opportunities to win the game but failed to take them.
Nashville capitalized when its chances arrived.
The game also carried an important storyline in goal.
Jacob Fowler made his first NHL start of the season after being recalled from the Laval Rocket following Samuel Montembeault’s injury.
The 21-year-old stopped 15 shots in the loss.
The 5-2 score may look difficult for a goaltender, but it does not tell the full story.
Two of Nashville’s five goals were scored into an empty net after Montreal pulled Fowler late in the game.
That means Fowler allowed three goals while actually defending the Canadiens’ net.
More importantly, he was placed in difficult situations on Nashville’s power-play opportunities.
It would therefore be unfair to place Montreal’s defeat entirely on the young goaltender.
The bigger concern is the uncertainty surrounding the position.
Fowler received the start because Samuel Montembeault suffered a lower-body injury during practice Wednesday.
Montreal recalled Fowler from Laval shortly afterward.
As of Thursday, there was still no clear timeline for Montembeault’s return.
That makes the goaltending situation one of the biggest storylines surrounding the Canadiens.
Fowler already gained NHL experience last season, appearing in 17 games and posting a 9-6-2 record with a 2.43 goals-against average and .908 save percentage.
He therefore isn’t completely unfamiliar with this level.
But if Montembeault misses additional time, Montreal may need Fowler to handle meaningful minutes much earlier in the season than originally expected.
Not really.
Fowler will probably want some moments back, as every goaltender does after a defeat.
But Montreal’s biggest problems occurred elsewhere.
The Canadiens were unable to convert enough of their offensive pressure into goals.
They took costly penalties.
They allowed Nashville to tie the game just before the end of the second period.
And they failed to finish a major third-period opportunity when Anderson went in alone.
Those problems had more impact on the result than Fowler’s performance.
For a 21-year-old making his first NHL start of the season on short notice, the situation was hardly ideal.
If there was one player who changed the game for Nashville, it was Juuse Saros.
Montreal repeatedly generated pressure, but Saros prevented the Canadiens from turning their strong stretches into a decisive lead.
He stopped 32 of 34 shots and made his biggest save when Anderson had a breakaway late in the third period.
Without those saves, Nashville may never have been in position to complete the comeback.
That is one of the frustrating parts of Thursday’s loss for Montreal.
The Canadiens were not dominated.
For much of the night, they were arguably the better team.
They simply failed to make their advantage count.
Special teams ultimately favoured Nashville.
The Predators scored twice on the power play, including the tying goal and O’Reilly’s late winner.
Montreal, meanwhile, was unable to get the same kind of impact when opportunities appeared.
In close games, that difference can decide everything.
The Canadiens do not necessarily need their power play to dominate every night.
But when the game is tight and the opposition is receiving strong goaltending, special teams can provide the breakthrough that five-on-five play cannot.
Thursday, Nashville found that breakthrough.
Montreal did not.
It is important not to overreact to the 5-2 score.
Nashville’s Adam Edstrom scored two empty-net goals in the final minutes, turning a one-goal game into what looked like a comfortable Predators victory.
For Montreal, that distinction matters.
The Canadiens were not three goals worse than Nashville during normal five-on-five play.
They were competitive and controlled large parts of the game.
The problem was execution.
Montreal needed to score when it dominated, stay out of the penalty box and make better use of its biggest opportunities.
Those are frustrating issues, but they are also fixable.
One positive was the performance of Nick Suzuki.
The Canadiens captain opened the scoring and now has three goals early in the season.
His goal came from exactly the type of aggressive play Montreal needs more often around the opposing crease.
Suzuki remains one of the most important pieces of the Canadiens’ offence, particularly while injuries affect other parts of the lineup.
Montreal will need its captain involved again Saturday against Detroit.
The Canadiens do not have much time to think about Thursday’s defeat.
The Detroit Red Wings visit the Bell Centre on Saturday, giving Montreal an immediate opportunity to respond.
Three areas stand out.
Montreal cannot repeatedly dominate stretches of games without building a bigger lead.
A 2-0 advantage is never safe in today’s NHL.
When opportunities arrive, the Canadiens need to be more clinical.
Nashville’s power play was directly responsible for the tying and winning goals.
Montreal simply cannot offer opponents those opportunities late in close games.
Whether Fowler starts again or Montreal turns to another option, the Canadiens must make life easier for whoever is in net.
Limiting traffic, avoiding unnecessary penalties and controlling rebounds will become even more important if Montembeault remains unavailable.
Montreal now has a 1-2-1 record and has gone three consecutive games without a victory.
That is not enough to create panic this early in the season.
But Thursday’s defeat will feel particularly frustrating because the Canadiens had the opportunity to win.
They led 2-0.
They created more chances.
They controlled long stretches.
And still, they walked away without a point.
That is the difference between simply playing well and closing out games.
For a young Canadiens team trying to take another step forward, learning how to finish performances like this one could be just as important as generating the chances in the first place.
Saturday’s matchup against Detroit offers an immediate chance to show that lesson has been learned.
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