Canadiens’ Nick Suzuki makes feelings known after 6-1 loss to Lightning

The Montreal Canadiens were overrun early and never recovered in a 6-1 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning on Tuesday night at Bell Centre, a result that extended the club’s uneven stretch and raised familiar questions about their defensive play and home-ice form.

Afterward, Habs captain Nick Suzuki didn’t hide his frustration with how quickly the game slipped away. Suzuki said the group actually liked its opening push but felt the two breakaway goals against were destabilizing.

“I liked our start, for sure. I thought we generated a lot early on and then we gave up two breakaway goals, and then the third one there.”

“And when you give a team like that a 3-0 lead it’s definitely tough to come back, and it definitely wasn’t the start we needed for sure,” he added.

Montreal conceded three goals in the opening period including two breakaways and a third marker shortly after. Oliver Kapanen scored the Canadiens’ lone goal on a second-period power play, while both Jakub Dobes and Sam Montembeault were beaten for three goals apiece.

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Nick Suzuki reflects on reason behind team’s rough patch this season

Montreal’s struggles at home resurfaced in the loss, an issue highlighted by their sub-.500 road record and recent inconsistency overall.

Asked to identify what separates the team’s performance from last season’s more stable second half, Suzuki said there isn’t a single explanation. He pointed to injuries and key absences explaining that several players who were expected to carry heavier minutes have been unavailable. That has forced others into expanded roles and led to uneven results.

“Oh, I think there’s obviously been a lot of injuries and players that we were relying on being out. So, you know, it's tough for some guys to be put into bigger roles and tougher minutes,” he said.

Suzuki added that despite the scoreline, he didn’t feel the Canadiens defended “horribly” but stressed that Tampa Bay capitalized on nearly every high-danger look. That finishing ability, he said, “changed the game.”

The loss dropped Montreal to 15-11-3 while Tampa Bay improved to 17-11-2 and snapped a four-game slide. The Canadiens have now dropped four of their past six and Tuesday’s performance, particularly the first period exposed the defensive looseness that has crept into their game.