Habs bring power-play rhythm to Nashville
Last Updated: Saturday, November 14, 2009 | 12:29 PM ET
The Associated Press
Tomas Plekanec leads the Montreal Canadiens with 17 points after his three-assist outing on Thursday. (Jim McIsaac/Getty Images) The Montreal Canadiens will try to make it two-for-two on their short road jaunt when they take on the Nashville Predators on Saturday.
The Canadiens got their power play back on track to snap a two-game slide with Thursday night's 4-2 win at Phoenix. Montreal (9-10) scored on both of its opportunities after going 1-for-16 with the man advantage in its previous six games.
Marc-Andre Bergeron and Glen Metropolit scored 62 seconds apart in the third period as the Canadiens doubled their goal production from their previous three games, and Carey Price earned his second win in three starts — after losing six in a row — by stopping 18 shots.
"There are two factors in determining a game: special teams and goaltending," coach Jacques Martin said. "Both of them tonight were key factors."
Bergeron added two assists after some sub-par games of late, while Mike Cammalleri and Brian Gionta each finished with a goal and an assist.
Tomas Plekanec, who had gone without a point in three games, had three helpers.
Montreal's only victories in its previous seven games had come after regulation time.
In the teams' last matchup, the Canadiens beat Nashville 3-2 in January, their first meeting in two years. Montreal will make its first trip to Nashville since Feb. 22, 2007, and has a 7-2-1 record in the historical series, with one tie.
The Predators have also split up goaltending duties this season, and Pekka Rinne or Dan Ellis will try to help them earn their first home win over the Canadiens since March 23, 2002.
Nashville (8-8-1) can win for the seventh time in 10 game after a slow start to the season.
The Predators earned a split of their four-game road trip with a 3-1 victory at St. Louis on Thursday night.
Jordin Tootoo's unassisted score with 3:43 remaining broke a 1-1 tie, and David Legwand added an empty netter for his first goal of the season.
Patric Hornqvist also scored for the second straight game to tie Shea Weber for the team lead in goals.
Hornqvist, who can't qualify for the Calder Trophy because he played 28 games last season, has five goals and five assists in 17 games.
Fourteen different players have scored Nashville's 25 goals in the past nine games, with Weber's four leading the way. J.P. Dumont has assisted on seven of those goals and scored twice to notch a team-leading 11 points.
With files from CBCSports.ca
