As hard as the Predator’s special teams failures bit the team on Tuesday was just as impactful in a positive way in last night’s 4-3 overtime win over the New Jersey Devils, despite giving up another power play goal. Nashville’s traditional resilience was on full display as the Preds came from behind three times before winning it on a spectacular end-to-end rush from Kyle Turris.
The game started in a breathtaking first period that saw scoring chance after scoring chance, 35 total shots. No, that is not a typo, 35 shots with three goals. Damon Severson got things going early, breaking the ice with a goal just about three minutes into the contest. Yannick Weber proved the old saying that “good things happen when you throw it on net… as Devils netminder Keith Kincaid gave up a real softie about 12 minutes later. The play went back and forth until Filip Forsberg took an interference penalty with a little more than two minutes to go in the first and the lethal New Jersey power play made the Preds pay as Nico Hischeir converted on sweet redirect with 1:01 left in the period and the teams went to the room with the Devils holding a 2-1 lead.
Things calmed a bit in the second. Play slowed a bit and scoring chances certainly reduced, until Viktor Arvidsson scored his 7th of the season (third in the past two games) from a great and Pred Nation thought, OK… here we go. The ice was tilting, it was time for one of those quick follow up goals. Which is exactly what happened… only Nico Hischeir was the one to score it, :40 seconds later on a second really nice redirect. Ugh… who could blame Pred Nation for thinking that this wasn’t going to be the Preds night.
Then, Marcus Johansson took a holding penalty putting the much criticized Predators power play on the ice, and that power play delivered. It wasn’t pretty to start with as an ill-advised turnover sprung Blake Coleman for a short-handed breakaway that was stoned by an outstanding Juuse Saros save. Once the power play reset, PK Subban found Ryan Johansen cutting down right wing, Johansen drew two defenders and found Filip Forsberg with a cross ice feed that Forsberg hammered home with a one-timer blast to tie the game.
Things locked down from that point on, with Jusse Saros making a couple of very nice saves to keep the game knotted and the game headed to overtime. Saros again kept his team in the game, especially on a 2-on-1 a few minutes into overtime. Then Kyle Turris picked up a loose puck in right circle of the defensive zone and streaked up through center ice being softly defended when he unleashed a nasty snap shot from the high slot that cleanly beat Kinkaid to take the win.
Were lessons learned from the Tuesday night collapse? Early returns say yes as the team didn’t give up at all last night and were rewarded for their efforts with two solid road points, finishing the first ten games of the season with an 8-2-0 record. Despite the ups and downs of the few ten this team appears in very good shape, leading the division, conference and league. Can’t ask for much more heading into Halloween week.
The Predators are back in action tomorrow afternoon for a rare fall matinee. It’s a 2pm game time for their rematch against the Edmonton Oilers. Very limited tickets remain.
Here are the highlights
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Random Notes
- Tomorrow will be a busy day in Smashville. I would like to invite you to come downtown early and join us at Walk of Fame Park for the Walk to End Alzheimer’s. A disease that both of my parents suffered from. Registration starts at 7am, the walk starts at 8.
- Rocco Grimaldi was called up yesterday and was immediately inserted into the lineup on the second line. Messages being sent to a few players as the lines were shaken up a bit.
- Kyle Turris has been rounding into form and his play in the past few games is showing it.
- The NHL upheld the 20 game suspension for Washington’s Tom Wilson.
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