O'Reilly's late power-play goal lifts Predators past Canadiens

MONTREAL -- Ryan O'Reilly broke a tie on the power play with 3:16 remaining in the third period, and the Nashville Predators scored five straight goals to rally for a 5-2 win against the Montreal Canadiens at Bell Centre on Thursday.

O'Reilly set up in the slot and tipped Roman Josi's one-timer from the blue line to the glove side.

Alex Kerfoot had a goal and an assist, and Adam Edstrom scored two empty-net goals for the Predators (2-1-1).

“We stuck with it, everyone was working, it wasn’t pretty at times but we found a way to win,” O’Reilly said. “And that’s a huge two points for us.”

Matthew Wood scored the tying goal late in the second, and Josi and Steven Stamkos each had two assists. Juuse Saros made 32 saves.

“It was a huge effort by everyone,” Wood said. “We have no quit in this group.”

Nick Suzuki and Alex Newhook scored for the Canadiens (1-2-1), who have lost three straight.

“I thought we outplayed them the majority of the game,” said Suzuki, the Montreal captain. “We just didn’t score on our chances. Obviously the score is what it is.”

Jacob Fowler made 15 saves in his season debut. The 21-year-old goalie was recalled from Laval of the American Hockey League on Wednesday after Sam Montembeault sustained a lower-body injury at practice.

“I thought we were playing a good game,” Fowler said. “The second period we were all over them and their goalie made some big saves there, and it (stinks) to give up that one late.”

Chris Kreider appeared to put Montreal up 1-0 at 1:36 of the first period when he lifted the rebound from a Newhook shot off Saros' right pad from in tight. Nashville challenged for offside, and the goal was overturned after a video review.

Suzuki did give the Canadiens a 1-0 lead while the teams skated 4-on-4 at 3:12 of the second. He collected a puck that came loose during a scramble and banked a backhand shot from the edge of the left face-off circle through the five-hole off Saros’ left pad. It was Suzuki's third goal in four games.

Newhook made it 2-0 at 8:50. He flipped a shot over Saros’ glove off a centering pass from Josh Anderson, whose forechecking caused Predators defenseman Adam Wilsby to turn the puck over behind the net.

Kerfoot cut the lead to 2-1 at 15:06, tipping Wilsby's point shot from in front for his first goal with Nashville.

Wood tied it 2-2 when he scored a power-play goal off a pileup in the crease at 19:28. Prior to the goal, the net became dislodged after Anderson hit Stamkos into the left post, but the goal was upheld after a video review.

“The puck was loose and somehow it just came right to me,” Wood said. “Honestly I don’t even know how it came to me but it was there and I put it in.”

Saros denied Anderson on a breakaway with a left-pad save at 11:13 of the third period.

“It’s frustrating any time you can almost close out the game there and the game’s on your hands and you’re going down on a breakaway,” Anderson said. “Obviously you want to bury it, and it’s one that I’m still thinking about.” 

After O'Reilly gave Nashville the lead, Edstrom scored empty-net goals at 17:23 and 18:34 for the 5-2 final.

“Obviously I feel good, we found a way to win. But definitely we’ve got some things we have to improve on," O'Reilly said. "Right now we’re two different teams. I don’t know exactly what it was. For myself, just kind of overthinking to start the game. We want to play a great game but we just get caught on our heels. If it wasn’t for Juuse that could have got out of hand.”

NOTES: The Predators finished the game with 11 forwards and five defensemen after forward Mavrik Bourque and defenseman William Trudeau each sustained an upper-body injury. ... Josi (five points; one goal, four assist) became the third defenseman in franchise history with a season-opening point streak of at least four games. The others: Marek Zidlicky (six games in 2003-04) and Dan Hamhuis (five games in 2007-08). ... Stamkos has six points (three goals, three assists) in a four-game streak. ... Edstrom's first empty-net goal was his first goal with the Predators. ... Forward Ross Colton assisted on Kerfoot's goal for his first point with Nashville. ... Suzuki's seven points (three goals, four assists) are the most points by a Montreal skater through the team’s first four games of a season since Alex Galchenyuk had seven (one goal, six assists) in 2013-14). The last skater with more was Saku Koivu (eight points; one goal, seven assists) in 1996-97). ... Canadiens defenseman Adam Engstrom was plus-1 in 11:49 of ice time in his season debut.