Montreal Canadiens goaltender Cayden Primeau (30) replaces Sam Montembeault (35) during third-period NHL action against the Pittsburgh Penguins in Montreal on Thursday, Dec. 12, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Christinne Muschi

MONTREAL - Nick Suzuki walked into the locker room in disbelief, unable to explain his team’s third-period collapse.

The Montreal Canadiens trailed 3-2 entering the final 20 minutes on Thursday night. The wheels quickly fell off as the Pittsburgh Penguins piled on with six goals in a 9-2 rout.

"I'm still trying to think about what just happened,” Suzuki said. “I don't know who that was out there, and it's embarrassing by us."

Bryan Rust scored a hat trick and added an assist, while Rickard Rakell added two goals and two assists for Pittsburgh (13-14-4). Sidney Crosby had three assists.

Canadiens fans relentlessly booed the home team and others exited the Bell Centre early as Anthony Beauvillier, Matt Nieto and Noel Acciari padded Pittsburgh’s lead.

"I wasn't expecting a third period like that,” head coach Martin St. Louis said. “It wasn’t our best game, but in the first two periods the game was tight, the scoring chances were close.

“It went off the rails."

Kris Letang made it 5-2 with a weak shot that beat Sam Montembeault on the power play 7:42 into the third.

Beauvillier scored 59 seconds later as Montembeault got the hook after allowing six goals on 26 shots. Backup Cayden Primeau wasn't any better, stopping only four of seven in relief.

"You don't really expect that,” Crosby said of the third-period onslaught. “I thought we just kept playing, and obviously that fifth goal on the power play there, that's a tough one.

“That one, to put it at three ahead, I thought that we had a lot of momentum at that point."

Although Suzuki could hardly recognize his team’s performance, the lopsided result and home crowd jeers are hardly one-offs this season.

The Canadiens have lost by four or more goals four times this season, including 7-2 and 8-2 home defeats to the New York Rangers and Seattle Kraken.

"It's an awful feeling,” forward Brendan Gallagher said. “The fans are booing, they deserve to boo. We're not providing an entertaining product, it's as simple as that. We're disappointed in ourselves."

Montreal (11-15-3) ranks near the bottom of the league for the fourth consecutive season despite having hopes of contending for a playoff spot this spring.

"I think we've come a long way, but every now and then we have these moments,” St. Louis said. “Unfortunately I think it's part of our growth, and we hope these moments happen less.

"And when they happen they can't happen consecutive times."

The Canadiens were building momentum at home after off-season acquisition Patrik Laine recently returned from a knee injury. St. Louis was coaching a healthy team for the first time all season.

Laine scored in his Canadiens debut on Dec. 3, a 2-1 overtime win over New York Islanders. Montreal then won two of its next three with Laine scoring in both victories and Montembeault looking sharp in net after his selection to Canada’s 4 Nations Face-Off roster.

The Canadiens hoped to close out their five-game homestand on the right foot. The Penguins had other ideas.

"We had a good stretch, record-wise, going at home here, we wanted to finish it off,” Suzuki said. “We thought we put ourselves in a decent position heading into the third. And just fell on our face."

The Canadiens play eight of their next 10 games on the road, starting Saturday in Winnipeg. The Jets lead the league with 43 points.

“Doesn't get any easier for us, but we should have all the reason to respond with our best effort here in Winnipeg,” Gallagher said. “I trust that our group will put forth a better effort."

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 12, 2024.

News from © The Canadian Press, 2024