Canadiens rewarded with fun gain around Predators as engagement and effort and hard work pay back off

MONTREAL — Artturi Lehkonen, channelling the wonderful philosophers of our time, attained deep into his soul to offer you this profound real truth nugget right after helping his Montreal Canadiens defeat the Nashville Predators 6-3 at the Bell Centre on Saturday: “Winning is extra fun than losing.”

The generally-stoic Finn even authorized himself a smile from his bleeding lips — he was caught with a superior-stick late in the match — and you could explain to he was relishing the excellent sensation a little bit before leaving the job interview area.

Let us just say Lehkonen was a bit extra fired up right after scoring the game’s initial goal, which was his first in 20 game titles this season and his initial given that his Saint-Jean Baptiste unique to eradicate the Vegas Golden Knights in the Stanley Cup semifinal.

Though we’re kidding about the depth of his statement after the activity, it was even now suitable. It was a easy reality spoken by a easy guy, and this fifth earn of the year for the Canadiens was borne of simplicity.

It was pleasurable, much too. Exciting. All things opposite of what we’ve observed by means of 15 losses.

The Canadiens, coming off an embarrassing 6- decline to the Pittsburgh Penguins on Thursday, have been pissed off, in accordance to Lehkonen. They performed like it to get started this recreation — even if they needed goaltender Samuel Montembeault to buy them some time to transform a great effort and hard work into fantastic execution—and they concluded like it soon after permitting Matt Duchene to score a natural hat trick in the 3rd period of time.

However, far more exciting than dropping.

As for the very easy rationale the Canadiens experienced it on this night, “I believed we were being engaged,” said coach Dominique Ducharme.

“We were engaged in what we preferred to do,” he added.

It was everyone on the Canadiens, who dressed 11 forwards and 7 defencemen in this a person.

It was Lehkonen, who finished a pleasant engage in that started out with Brendan Gallagher and moved through David Savard and Jake Evans to get the Canadiens on the board 2:41 into the initial interval.

Did he catch a split when his original shot bounced off 3 matters prior to discovering its way back to him on the fringe of Juuse Saros’ crease? Of study course.

But Lehkonen experienced labored all year for that just one.

“He’s…