NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The Nashville Predators erased an early 2-0 deficit with five unanswered goals to beat the Montreal Canadiens 5-2 Thursday night at Bell Centre, moving to 2-1-1 on the season.
Juuse Saros made 32 saves, and Nashville scored twice on the power play. Montreal controlled much of the play, outshooting Nashville 34-20, but could not hold the lead after Nick Suzuki and Alex Newhook scored in the second period.
Alexander Kerfoot got Nashville on the board late in the second, and Matthew Wood tied the game on a power play with 32 seconds left in the period. Ryan O Reilly scored the go-ahead goal on the power play at 16:44 of the third, and Adam Edstrom then added two empty-net goals in the final 2:37 to seal it.
Steven Stamkos assisted on both power-play goals, and Roman Josi logged heavy ice time with two assists. A second account of the same Bell Centre matchup framed Montreal as dominating large stretches before falling 5-2, including a highlight-level save sequence that forced Predators forward Steven Stamkos from 10 feet to miss on a one-timer.
Nashville knows there is room for improvement after being outshot 34-20, and the Predators will look to clean things up Saturday night against the Senators in Ottawa. The win capped a road night in which limited chances still produced five goals.
Fans following the club from Middle Tennessee can treat the Ottawa game as the next measuring stick after a comeback built on special teams and empty-net finishes rather than even-strength shot volume.
