Late collapse against Predators defines night: Canadiens morning report

The Canadiens wake up today still feeling the sting of a game that slipped away. On Thursday night at the Bell Centre, Montreal built a two-goal cushion but ultimately fell 5-2 to the Nashville Predators (NSH 5 @ MTL 2). La Presse underlines that the Habs paid a steep price for a lull in their play after taking control.

From 2-0 up to a full-on collapse

La Presse describes a night where what looked like a routine win early on turned into another reminder of how fragile a lead can be. Sportsnet characterizes the outcome as a late-game collapse, with the Predators surging in the third period to complete the comeback.

There was at least one bright spot in the loss. Sportsnet highlights the new combination of Josh Anderson, Alex Newhook, and Chris Kreider as helping the Canadiens regain some offensive balance, even if it didn’t translate into points in the standings.

On the Nashville side, Sportsnet notes that Adam Edstrom scored twice, while Steven Stamkos, Roman Josi, and Alex Kerfoot each recorded two points in the Predators’ victory. Daily Faceoff reports that Mavrik Bourque and William Trudeau both left the game with upper-body injuries and did not return in the 5-2 win over Montreal.

Goaltending picture shifts, depth tested early

Eyes on the Prize notes that Jacob Fowler is suddenly in the spotlight with Samuel Montembeault sidelined by injury. The site also points out that injuries are starting to pile up for the Canadiens, forcing the club to lean on its depth earlier than expected.

According to Eyes on the Prize, this stretch is emerging as a test of the Canadiens’ maturity as they try to find the balance between playing bold, attacking hockey and managing games more intelligently.

Standing in the Atlantic and a key date with Detroit

In the Atlantic Division standings, the Canadiens sit seventh with 3 points through 4 games and a 1-2-1 record. It’s early, but dropped points like Thursday’s make it tougher to stay in the mix as the schedule tightens.

Next up is a home date with the Detroit Red Wings on Saturday night (DET @ MTL — 7:00 p.m. Montreal time). Coming off a blown lead and what La Presse calls a more difficult start than expected, how the Habs respond on home ice will offer an early read on this group’s resilience.