Roman Josi scored twice, and Steven Stamkos and Jonathan Marchessault added a goal apiece to power the Nashville Predators to a 4-1 win over the NHL’s best team in the Winnipeg Jets Saturday at Bridgestone Arena.
Juuse Saros made 23 saves in goal for the Predators, while Eric Comrie made 32 for the Jets. The Predators, who were coming off a 3-0 shutout loss to the Seattle Kraken on Wedmesday, showed noticeable improvement in their 5-on-5 play and outshot Winnipeg, 36-24.
“Coming after a two week road trip, the first came back’s always a little scary,” head coach Andrew Brunette said after the win. “The first period was a little sluggish. We’ve had games this year where we’ve never really found our game, or we’ve lost some momentum, or a disallowed goal would kind of throw us in a little bit of a tailspin. I thought the group grabbed it, and we learned from past experiences.”
With the win, Nashville improves to 7-11-3 on the season.
How the Predators lined up vs. Winnipeg
Forsberg – O’Reilly – Nyquist
Stamkos – Svechkov – Evangelista
Jankowski – Novak – Marchessault
L’Heureux – Sissons – Smith
Lauzon – Josi
Skjei – Carrier
Del Gaizo – Schenn
Saros
Wedgewood
Extra: Tomasino, Pärssinen, McCarron*
The Predators announced at the start of warmups that forward Michael McCarron is day-to-day with an upper-body injury.
Related: Nashville Predators Recall Fedor Svechkov From AHL
Game Summary
The Predators’ top-ranked penalty kill unit saw some action early, successfully killing a two-minute bench minor for too many men on the ice at 3:40 of the first period. Nashville was also the first team to find the back of the net when Josi fired a clapper from the blue line to make it 1-0 at 9:55 of the frame.
Nashville appeared to extend the lead to 2-0 less than a minute later when Alexandre Carrier knocked in the rebound off a Colton Sissons shot; but a successful coach’s challenge by Winnipeg ruled the play was offside, and the goal was waved off.
Nashville’s 1-0 lead lasted until the halfway point of the second period, when Adam Lowry capitalized on a rebound chance for Winnipeg’s first goal of the game to tie the score at 1-1. The Predators retook the lead early in the third on a power-play goal from Stamkos, seconds before Josh Morrissey’s hooking penalty was set to expire.
Marchessault added to Nashville’s lead less than two minutes later with an unassisted goal from the high slot. It was his first goal since Nashville’s Nov. 9 win over Utah Hockey Club. Josi scored into the empty net at 18:40 for the 4-1 final.
Brunette and the players alike acknowledged the team’s need to build consistency and carry momentum from one strong performance into the next game. Brunette said that the team is in “dire straits” as they look to rebound from a first quarter that saw them underperform in relation to the high expectations surrounding them.
“The story of this year has been we have efforts like this and then we don’t’ follow it up,” Stamkos said after the game. “So, let’s follow it up and get on a little roll here.”
Key Takeaways
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Former first-round pick Fedor Svechkov made his NHL debut for Nashville in Saturday’s game after being recalled from the AHL’s Milwaukee Admirals earlier that day. He finished the night with one hit in 7:34 of ice time.
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Stamkos scored his sixth power play goal of the season (seventh overall). He has scored on the man advantage in three straight games.
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Saturday’s matchup between the Jets and the Predators featured the league’s top power play and penalty kill units. Entering Saturday’s game, Winnipeg led the NHL with a 35.6% power play percentage, while Nashville’s penalty kill paced the league at 91.3%.
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Winnipeg’s Dylan Samberg left the game in the second period and did not return due to a lower-body injury he suffered when blocking a Steven Stamkos shot on the penalty kill.
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Saturday’s contest, which was the Predators’ first home game since Nov. 9, featured a pregame celebration and ceremonial puck drop by former general manager David Poile and former captain Shea Weber, who were inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame earlier this month.
Up Next
The Predators will head north to face the New Jersey Devils Monday at Prudential Center. Puck drop is at 6 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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