The Nashville Predators suffered their fifth straight loss as they fell to the Ottawa Senators, 5-2, Monday at Bridgestone Arena.
Filip Forsberg had a goal and an assist for the Predators, and Juuse Saros made 34 saves. Anton Forsberg made 25 saves for the Senators, who have won five straight.
How the Predators lined up vs. Ottawa
Nyquist-Stamkos-Marchessault
Forsberg-O’Reilly-Hinostroza
Novak-Svechkov-L’Heureux
Smith-McCarron-Sissons
Josi-Schenn
Skjei-Blankenburg
Gravel-Wilsby
Saros
Annunen
Extra: Jankowski (week-to-week, upper-body), Evangelista (day-to-day, lower-body), Barron
IR: Lauzon
Forward Luke Evangelista was scratched from the lineup and listed as day-to-day with a lower-body injury. He left briefly in the second period of Saturday’s game against the Pittsburgh Penguins with an apparent injury, but he returned before the end of the frame. Evangelista skated with the team Monday morning, but head coach Andrew Brunette said that some players were “banged up” and would be game time decisions ahead of Monday’s tilt.
Game Summary
In what was an otherwise uneventful first period, Senators forward Drake Batherson believed he had scored Ottawa’s first goal of the night on the power play around the 16:30 mark. However, the call on the ice was no goal due to goaltender interference, and an official review confirmed the call. Ottawa still initiated a coach’s challenge, which was unsuccessful, giving the Predators a free power play. Nashville managed a pair of shots on goal on the man advantage but did not score.
The first goal of the game came in the second period, courtesy of Filip Forsberg. Forsberg received a pass from Roman Josi on a play set up by Vinnie Hinostroza and snuck the puck past Anton Forsberg to give the Predators a 1-0 lead.
The Predators got into penalty trouble later in the period, however. Following a double penalty to Zach L’Heureux, Senators forward Adam Gaudette tied the game 1-1. Three minutes later, defenseman Jake Sanderson gave Ottawa a 2-1 lead.
Jonathan Marchessault tied the game for the Predators just 47 seconds into the third period, taking a pass from Ryan O’Reilly and launching a one-timer from one knee to make it a 2-2 on the power play.
Things went south quickly for the Predators, however, when Shane Pinto gave the Senators a 3-2 lead at 6:17 of the third period on a rebound of a shot that deflected off of Gaudette’s skate. David Perron made it 4-2 at 14:06 on the power play with a goal that went in off of Predators defenseman Adam Wilsby. Ridly Greig scored into the empty net for Ottawa at 17:09 for the 5-2 final.
Key Takeaways & Notes
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Josi skated in his 957th career game, passing David Legwand to set a new Predators franchise record for most games played. Per NHL PR, Josi (Switzerland) is the third defenseman born outside North America in NHL history to hold the distinction for a franchise.
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Forsberg’s goal in the second period marked his 50th point of the season. He now has eight 50-point seasons, tying Josi for the most in Predators franchise history.
Up Next
The Predators hit the road Friday for a Central Division matchup against the Chicago Blackhawks. The puck drops at United Center at 7:30 p.m. CT, and the game will be broadcast regionally on FanDuel Sports Network South and on ESPN+ for out-of-market customers in the United States.
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