MONTREAL — Ryan Ellis was the only scorer in a shootout as the Nashville Predators defeated the Montreal Canadiens 3-2 on Saturday night.
Montreal outshot Nashville 49-32 through 65 minutes, including 10-3 in overtime, and had most of the good scoring chances, but was thwarted by several glittering saves by goalie Pekka Rinne.
But after Kevin Fiala gave Nashville the lead at 12:19 of the third frame, Montreal pulled goalie Carey Price for an extra attacker and Jonathan Drouin tied it with 1:14 left in regulation time with a shot to the near side top corner to force overtime.
Scott Hartnell also scored for the Predators (33-12-9), who were coming off overtime win in Ottawa.
Brendan Gallagher had the other goal for Montreal (22-26-7).
The Bell Centre crowd reacted with some boos but mostly cheers each time P. K. Subban had the puck. Subban remains highly popular in Montreal after his trade to Nashville two summers ago for Shea Weber, who has been out since mid-December with a foot injury.
He and Gallagher waged their own little war in the first period, and the Canadiens winger was shaken up while trying to lay a big hit on Subban.
But 8:35 into the second, Arturri Lehkonen stripped the puck from Filip Forsberg at the Nashville line. Gallagher grabbed it and saw his first shot blocked by Subban, but picked up the rebound and beat Rinne from close range for his 20th goal of the season.
A bouncing puck in front of the Montreal net went to Nick Bonino, who slipped it to Hartnell for the equalizer at 18:25.
After a sprawled Carey Price made a glove save at the side of the net on Ryan Johansen, the Nashville centre slipped the rebound back to uncovered Fiala for a backhander into an open side.
Forsberg returned after serving a three-game suspension for a high hit on Jimmy Vesey of the New York Rangers.
Half of the Predators' defence group are former Canadiens — Subban, Alexei Emelin and Yannick Weber. True to form, Emelin took a penalty for an open ice hit that was a knee-on-knee contact that left Nikita Scherbak limping in the first period.
Bill Beacon, The Canadian Press
