The Nashville Predators picked up a point in the standings on Friday but fell 5-4 to the Detroit Red Wings in their third straight loss, their first in overtime this season.
It was an exciting matchup between two hungry teams, each looking for their first win since before the holiday break. The OT thriller had a little bit of everything, including four lead changes, two shorthanded tallies, an unlikely tilt between Roman Josi and Alex DeBrincat and a last-minute candidate for save of the year by Juuse Saros.
Filip Forsberg is Back
Filip Forsberg ended a five-game goal drought with a two-goal performance against Detroit. He scored for the first time since Dec. 15 – and for the first time in regulation since Dec. 7 – to get Nashville on the board and tie the game at 1-1 midway through the first period.
Forsberg’s second goal gave the Predators their first lead of the game late in the second period when he received a feed from Tommy Novak behind the net and dumped the puck past Detroit goaltender Alex Lyon to make it 3-2 in favor of Nashville. Forsberg now leads the Predators in points (40), goals (18) and assists (22) through 36 games this season.
Gustav Nyquist Comes Up Big
Forsberg’s linemate, former Red Wing Gustav Nyquist, led Nashville with three points on the night (two goals, one assist) and recorded his first multi-goal performance of the season against the team that drafted him 121st overall in 2008.
Nyquist’s shorthanded tally in the second period was his first of the season for Nashville, which is now tied for the fourth-most shorthanded goals in the NHL this season with five. His second goal of the night was the equalizer late in the third period, tying the score at 4-4 and sending the game to overtime.
Nyquist’s 26 points (eight goals, 18 assists) are the fourth-most by a Nashville skater this season. His two goals against his former team were his seventh and eighth of the year, causing him to leapfrog past Josi and Yakov Trenin for fourth place on the team in that category as well.
Special Teams are Still an Issue
In their last outing on Wednesday (Dec. 27), the Predators lost the special teams battle to Carolina, committing five penalties – including a double minor – and allowing three power-play goals in a 5-2 loss to the Hurricanes.
“I think we were a little careless at times,” Nashville head coach Andrew Brunette said after the loss. “I think it was an emotional game. I thought we were excited to play, maybe a little bit too rambunctious a few different times. When you’re not killing too many penalties tonight, it’s tough to take penalties. We took some offensive zone penalties that probably we wouldn’t like to take.”
If Brunette and his staff had made special teams a focus in Thursday’s team practice, it certainly didn’t show early in the game against Detroit. Just over four minutes into the first period, the Predators gave up a shorthanded goal to Red Wings forward Dylan Larkin on their first power-play opportunity. The Preds were able to recover and get one back with a shorthanded goal by Nyquist in the second period, but it was not an ideal start for a team looking to right several wrongs on special teams.
Cody Glass Moves to the Wing
Among the changes that Brunette made to his forward lines was moving Cody Glass, a traditional centerman, to the wing against Detroit. Glass, who has struggled offensively following two separate stints on injured reserve (IR) this season, recorded just one goal and one assist with a minus-8 rating through 15 games prior to the matchup against Detroit.
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Glass, who has admitted to struggling with the mental aspect of his game this season, could benefit from the reduced defensive responsibilities on the wing relative to center as he looks to build his confidence and start contributing more on offense. Skating on a line with Juuso Pärssinen and Novak, he was able to simplify his game and concentrate on the forecheck against a Red Wings team known more for its speed than its physicality. Shifting him from center to wing was a savvy move by Brunette and one that could potentially help jumpstart the young forward’s offensive production.
Juuse Saros is an Animal
Friday was quite a night for NHL goaltenders. Mere minutes after New York Rangers netminder Jonathan Quick came up with an unbelievable save for his team in South Florida, Juuse Saros threw his own hat into the ring for save of the year with this beauty in Detroit:
Saros’ incredible diving glove save robbed the red-hot Patrick Kane, whose four-game goal streak came to an end against Nashville.
Up Next For the Predators
The Predators will look to rebound against the Washington Capitals on Saturday at Capital One Arena. Nashville won the last meeting between the two teams at Bridgestone Arena on Dec. 17.
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After the back-to-back set, the Predators will return to Nashville for a two-game homestand featuring matchups against Central Division rival Chicago Blackhawks on Jan. 2 and the Calgary Flames on Jan. 4.
