Caufield scores twice on power play, Canadiens hold off Predators
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MONTREAL — Cole Caufield scored two power-play goals and the Montreal Canadiens held on for a 4-3 win against the Nashville Predators at Bell Centre on Thursday.
Kirby Dach had a goal and an assist, Jonathan Drouin had three assists, and Sam Montembeault made 39 saves for Montreal (17-22-3), which won for the second time in three games after going 0-6-1 in the previous seven.
Yaroslav Askarov made 31 saves in his NHL debut for the Predators (19-16-6). He was recalled from Milwaukee of the American Hockey League on Wednesday and started because backup Kevin Lankinen is ill.
Nino Niederreiter, Filip Forsberg and Juuso Parssinen each scored for Nashville, which lost the second of a back to back following a 2-1 defeat to the Toronto Maple Leafs on Wednesday.
Caufield put Montreal up 3-2 at 10:03 of the second period on the power play, one-timing Nick Suzuki’s cross-ice pass past Askarov’s glove.
Caufield increased the lead to 4-2 at 6:15 of the third period with his second straight power-play goal for his team-leading 25th goal. It was his sixth two-goal game of the season.
Parssinen cut the lead to 4-3 with 1:29 remaining on a shot from the point with Askarov pulled for an extra skater.
The Canadiens honored retired defenseman P.K. Subban in a pregame ceremony. Subban won the Norris Trophy as the NHL’s best defenseman with Montreal in 2012-13. He also played for Nashville in the 2017 Stanley Cup Final, which the Predators lost to the Pittsburgh Penguins in six games.
Niederreiter gave Nashville a 1-0 lead at 10:35 of the first period before Jake Evans tied it 1-1 at 13:30 when he scored on the Canadiens’ 15th shot.
Kirby Dach put Montreal up 2-1 at 15:08 when he steered Jesse Ylonen’s pass into a wide-open net after Jonathan Drouin cut off Askarov’s clearing attempt on the left board.
Forsberg scored 12 seconds into the second to tie it 2-2 on Matt Duchene’s centering pass from behind the net.
Evans deked Askarov on a breakaway to go wide of his outstretched left pad late in the period, but his shot struck the right post with 14 seconds remaining.