Canadiens 4, Predators 3 (OT)
NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- After blowing a three-goal first-period lead, the Montreal Canadiens recovered for an overtime win.
Center David Desharnais stole the puck from defenseman Mattias Ekholm and rifled a slap shot over the left shoulder of backup goaltender Carter Hutton at 1:43 to give Montreal a 4-3 decision Saturday night over the Nashville Predators at Bridgestone Arena.
It was the fourth goal of the season for Desharnais, enabling the Canadiens (22-13-3) to improve to 1-1-0 on their six-game road trip. Nashville (16-16-4) lost its third straight game.
Hutton (7-5-2) had stopped 17 shots after relieving starter Marek Mazanec late in the first, when Mazanec yielded goals on three straight shots.
Defenseman P.K. Subban started the Canadiens' goal-scoring streak with a 39-foot slap shot from straight on at 11:30, his fifth goal. Center Lars Eller drew the only assist.
At 13:20, left winger Max Pacioretty tallied his 15th goal with a backhander over Mazanec's left shoulder. Right winger Brendan Gallagher sent Pacioretty in with a nice cross-ice pass and Pacioretty got behind defenseman Kevin Klein.
Center Tomas Plekanec's tip-in of a shot by right winger Brian Gionta made it 3-0 at 14:37 as the crowd of 16,095 looked on in silence. It was the 12th goal for Plekanec and resulted in Hutton replacing Mazanec.
The Predators got on the board at 11:51 of the second when left winger Gabriel Bourque wristed his fifth goal over the left shoulder of Price. Center Matt Cullen drew the primary helper, flicking a pass from behind the net to Bourque in the slot.
Left winger Nick Spaling cut the deficit to 3-2 at 18:09 with a power-play marker, his sixth goal of the year. Skating to the slot with little opposition, Spaling deflected Shea Weber's shot past Price, marking the fifth straight game in which Nashville has scored with a man advantage.
Eight seconds after Subban went to the box for tripping Cullen, Weber tied it at 13:40 of the third period with his ninth goal, a wrister set up by center Mike Fisher and right wing Patric Hornqvist.
Price (17-11-2) finished with 31 saves, including 18 in a busy second period.
NOTES: Nashville G Pekka Rinne's recovery from a bacterial infection in his hip has been set back until early January, a timetable that probably knocks him out of playing for Finland in the Sochi Olympics. Rinne has been out since an Oct. 22 loss in Minnesota. ... Montreal coach Michel Therrien dressed D Francis Bouillon for just the fifth time in 16 games and gave him a start. Bouillon, who played three years in Nashville, got an ovation from the crowd when announced before the game. ... Predators C Colin Wilson was back in the lineup after being a healthy scratch on Thursday night in Tampa Bay. Wilson had played in the first 34 games. ... Canadiens C Daniel Briere was back in their lineup after being scratched in the team's 5-1 loss on Thursday night in St. Louis. Briere has five goals and 10 points in 26 games.
