Canadiens Lose to Predators as Matheson Penalty Draws Scrutiny

The Montreal Canadiens fell 5-2 to the Nashville Predators after a strong performance Thursday night was disrupted by costly penalties, including a late Mike Matheson tripping call on Steven Stamkos that helped shift momentum in Nashville's favor.

According to habseyesontheprize.com, Montreal controlled much of the game at even strength and appeared positioned for a regulation victory before penalties and a struggling penalty kill changed the situation. The Predators scored two empty-net goals, while their decisive goal came on a power play created by Matheson's penalty.

The Hockey Writers reported that Nashville was outshot 34-20 by Montreal and that the final score did not fully reflect the Canadiens' overall performance. The report also noted Noah Dobson and Josh Anderson were involved in other costly moments during the game.

Matheson has faced increased criticism from some Canadiens fans, but dose.ca reported that analyst Marco D'Amico believes the defenseman receives less margin for error than other players.

"Matheson has virtually no room for error with the majority of Habs fans." said Marco D'Amico.

D'Amico also discussed a previous roughing penalty involving Matheson and Sidney Crosby, arguing the call was questionable. Matheson remains one of Montreal's most heavily used defensemen and carries a major role on the team's blue line.

"Either both players get penalized, or there's no penalty on the play. In the playoffs, that would never have been called." said Marco D'Amico.

The Hockey Writers reported that Matheson led Montreal defensemen in ice time last season and recorded 31 points after producing 62 points in the 2023-24 season. The outlet added that his high usage naturally creates more opportunities for mistakes.

According to The Hockey Writers, Matheson, Noah Dobson and Lane Hutson ranked as Montreal's top three players in ice time while also leading the team in giveaways. The report said the Canadiens penalty kill entered the season with a 78.2 percent success rate.

Habseyesontheprize.com reported that coach Martin St-Louis relies heavily on Matheson and cannot easily remove him from the lineup because of his importance to the team. The Canadiens were scheduled to continue their home stand against the Detroit Red Wings.