The Nashville Predators assured everyone that losses like what happened at the Bell Centre on Oct. 16 were in the past.
Losing a lead to the Montreal Canadiens with 19 seconds left on a goal by Cole Caufield, then watching Caufield score with just two seconds left in overtime, the Predators looked a lot like last year’s team in the 3-2 loss.
Defensive breakdowns at crucial moments. An inability to ice the game with an empty-netter. Squandering prime chances to win the game in overtime.
Against the Canadiens, the Predators looked like a team haunted by last year’s ghosts.
“Sometimes you need that killer instinct to put teams away,” the Predators’ Steven Stamkos said to reporters after the loss. “Whether it’s on the power play or at 5-on-5, it’s been a struggle. We’ve just got to keep digging”
The breakdowns in this game were particularly frustrating to watch. First, with 24 seconds left and a 2-1 Nashville lead, Jonathan Marchessault skated into the Montreal zone with a chance to ice the game with an empty net goal. But he fired the puck directly into the midsection of defenseman Lane Hutson, who sent the puck up ice to Caufield for the game-tying score.
Then, in overtime, Filip Forsberg had a chance to win it for Nashville, skating up the ice unimpeded with the puck. Instead of slowing to create a 2-on-0 with a trailing Stamkos, he shot the puck right into the mitt of Canadiens goalie Jakub Dobres.
That set up the final mistake, made by the Predators’ defense as a whole, leaving Caufield wide open in the slot with seconds remaining in overtime. Nick Suzuki drove to the net, then dished to Caufield, who didn’t miss his chance.
“It sucks when you’re 19 seconds away from pulling out a win and only end up getting one point,” Stamkos said.
While Nashville (2-1-2, 6 points) is off to a better start than last year – through five games last season, they still hadn’t recorded win – it’s the execution in critical moments that has coach Andrew Brunette most frustrated.
“Every second counts,” Brunette said after the loss. “When (Marchessault) had it, I think we thought it was over. We kind of gave up on the play a bit.”
If the Predators are going to set a new standard, they’ll need a better “killer instinct” and a more focused approach in the game’s critical moments.
“Two seconds, three seconds left, those little seconds killed us tonight,” Brunette said. “The margins are small. We’re not a team that’s going to score five every night, those margins are tight.”
Next up, the Predators visit the Winnipeg Jets on Oct. 18 (6 p.m. CT, FanDuel Sports Network) to close out the road trip.
Alex Daugherty is the Predators beat writer for The Tennessean. Contact Alex atjdaugherty@gannett.com. Follow Alex on X, the platform formerly called Twitter, @alexdaugherty1. Also check out our Predators exclusive Instagram page @tennessean_preds.