Caufield, Laine score to rally Canadiens to 2-1 win over Predators

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Cole Caufield and Patrik Laine scored in the second period to rally the Montreal Canadiens to a 2-1 victory over the Nashville Predators on Sunday night.

Jakub Dobes turned back 36 shots for the Canadiens, who extended their winning streak to five games after a five-game skid.

Steven Stamkos scored and Juuse Saros made 15 saves for Nashville, which was scoreless on four power plays and lost its sixth straight and for the seventh time in eight games.

Stamkos opened the scoring at 4:19 into the first off a feed from Filip Forsberg for his 25th of the season.

Caufield converted a pass from Nick Suzuki less than two minutes into the second period, tying the score 1-1. It was Caufield’s 36th goal of the season. Laine scored the go-ahead goal, his 20th of the season, just over four minutes later.

Nashville’s Matthew Wood made his NHL debut. The 20-year-old winger, the 15th overall pick in the 2023 draft, finished with one shot in just over 13 minutes.

TAKEAWAYS

Canadiens: Montreal (38-30-9) holds the second wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference, five points behind Ottawa (42-29-6, 90 points) and six points ahead of the New York Rangers (36-33-7) and Detroit Red Wings (36-33-7).

Predators: Saros lost his third straight decision.

KEY MOMENT

Lane Hutson’s assist on Laine’s goal was his 58th of the season and gave the 21-year-old from Holland, Mich., 64 points, tying Chris Chelios’ franchise record for points by a rookie defenceman.

KEY STAT

Nashville carried the play in the second period and had a 15-8 edge in shots on goal in the frame. But, Montreal scored two goals in the period to take a lead it never relinquished. The Predators outshot the Canadiens 37-17 overall.

UP NEXT

Canadiens: Host the Detroit Red Wings on Tuesday.

Predators: Host the New York Islanders on Tuesday.

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AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl