NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- If the Nashville Predators looked into the mirror Monday night and saw their image staring at them wearing Montreal Canadiens uniforms, it was certainly understandable.

Just as Nashville did during a 4-8-3 stretch from Nov. 25 to Dec. 17, Montreal drove play and created nearly twice as many shots on goal and twice as many shots attempted.

And just as the Predators did during their slide -- and as they have done for most of the last three weeks -- the Canadiens failed to turn their puck possession and shot advantages into anything that mattered.

With goalie Pekka Rinne stopping 35 shots and top defense pair Shea Weber and Roman Josi generating the first two goals, Nashville kept Montreal's recent slump going with a 5-1 verdict at sold-out Bridgestone Arena.

It was the eighth loss in nine games for the Canadiens (20-12-3), who outshot the Predators 36-19 but couldn't solve Rinne until the game was out of hand. Montreal goalie Dustin Tokarski endured a poor night, allowing three goals on 14 shots before getting lifted.

"We were the better team tonight," Montreal coach Michel Therrien said, "but the only place we didn't dominate was on the scoresheet."

That was because Nashville (17-11-6) made the most of its opportunities, led by its two workhorse defensemen.

Weber's blue-line blast at 8:40 of the first period -- just the Predators' second shot on net -- gave Nashville a lead it never relinquished.

Josi, who set up that goal with a slick drop pass to the right point, made it 2-0 at 8:22 of the second period as Weber returned the favor. With Canadiens right winger Dale Weise off for holding, Weber teed up Josi at the left point, and Josi's one-timer whizzed past Tokarski.

It was Josi's fifth goal of December, tops among NHL defensemen. Josi has a team-high 26 points for the season and 12 points this month, trailing only his defense partner, who has 15.

"If people don't see how good he is," Weber said of Josi, "they need to turn on a TV."

Rinne (14-9-6) was pretty good himself, denying Montreal equalizing goals twice in a three-minute span bridging the first and second periods. After his glove robbed center David Desharnais with a minute left in the first period, Rinne slid from right to left and stacked his pads to deny center Alex Galchenyuk late in a Canadiens' power play.

"I thought they were the better team for two periods," Josi said, "but Peks kind of stood on his head."

That kind of goaltending wasn't lost on Therrien, whose team's slump began with a lower-body injury to franchise goalie Carey Price on Nov. 25.

"Every goalie we face lately seems to be the first star," Therrien said, "and we need a better performance from goaltending, obviously."

Tokarski (1-3-0) got the hook when defenseman Ryan Ellis' centering pass struck the stick of Montreal center Lars Eller at 3:08 of the third period and flopped into the net. Mike Condon replaced Tokarski but was beaten at 8:58 when center Calle Jarnkrok converted left winger Colin Wilson's feed from behind the net into his sixth goal and a 4-0 lead.

Condon finished with three saves.

Galchenyuk ended Rinne's bid for a 39th career shutout with a power-play marker at 12:08, but Wilson capped the scoring with an empty-net tally at 17:55, his first goal since Oct. 22. It capped a three-point period for Wilson, who hadn't found the scoresheet since Dec. 3.

While the Canadiens' eight-game road trip continues Tuesday night against the Wild in Minnesota, Nashville gets four days off for Christmas before it resumes its four-game homestand Saturday night against the Detroit Red Wings.

"Any time you put two wins together, it will make the break a little nicer," Wilson said. "You'd hate to think about a loss for four days. Hopefully, we can build on this momentum after the break."

NOTES: Montreal D Jarred Tinordi drew into the lineup for the first time this season, replacing D Jeff Petry, sidelined after absorbing a hard hit Saturday night in Dallas. ... Nashville C Mike Fisher (lower-body) skated at Monday morning's practice but missed his 10th consecutive game. ... The Canadiens scratched RW Sven Andrighetto and D Greg Pateryn. ... The Predators' scratches were D Anthony Bitetto and LW Austin Watson.