Suzuki shut out, Habs outplayed, and more: 3 reasons why Montreal Canadiens lost 3-1 against Pittsburgh Penguins

The Montreal Canadiens dropped a tough 3-1 decision against the Pittsburgh Penguins on Saturday night at the PPG Paints Arena. The Canadiens could not stop Sidney Crosby as he scored two goals to lead the Penguins. Blake Lizotte added an empty-netter to seal the win.

As for the Habs, Christian Dvorak scored his first of the season, putting the Montreal Canadiens within a goal early in the third period.

So, let’s explore the three reasons why the Montreal Canadiens lost against the Pittsburgh Penguins on Saturday night.

3 reasons why Montreal Canadiens lost against Pittsburgh Penguins

#3. The Pens outplayed the Habs

Overall, the Pens outplayed the Habs for much of the game. While the Habs ended up outshooting Pittsburgh 26-24, the Penguins controlled the play, winning over 57% of the draws.

The Canadiens were also the more aggressive, physical team. But as the Pens have shown over the years, speed, skill, and smarts can overcome a tough, grinding team. That was the case on Saturday night, with the Canadiens being unable to translate their physical play into credible scoring chances.

#2. The power play went flat

To further compound things, the Montreal Canadiens could not muster much out of the two power play opportunities they had. Both chances with the man advantage came in the second period but failed to yield any sort of momentum swing for the Habs.

In fact, Sidney Crosby scored on the power play late in the second, cashing in on one of the Pens’ two power play opportunities.

The lack of production was disappointing for the Habs as their power play ranks 11th at 22.0%. A goal against the Pens could have significantly changed the outcome of the game.

#1. Suzuki and Habs' top scorers failed to produce

The Canadiens' top two lines failed to get much going on Saturday night. The top until consisting of captain Nick Suzuki, Cole Caufield, and Josh Anderson managed just four shots on goal. Meanwhile, the second line made up of Juraj Slafkovsky, Kirby Dach, and Alex Newhook got seven shots on goal, but could not manage to score.

In total, the Habs managed 26 shots on goal, but couldn’t generate very many high-danger scoring chances. Except for Dvorak’s goal, the Canadiens didn’t force Penguins netminder Alex Nedeljkovic to make overly complicated saves.

The Canadiens will be back in action on Tuesday as they host the Calgary Flames at the Bell Centre. The Habs will be looking to get back in the win column after falling to 4-7-1 following Saturday night’s loss.