Nashville Predators Blow Early Lead, Lose 5-1 to Dallas Stars

The Nashville Predators (27-41-8, 62 points) took an early 1-0 lead but gave up five unanswered goals – including four in the third period alone – in what would end up being a 5-1 loss to the Dallas Stars (50-21-4, 104 points) Thursday at American Airlines Center.

Steven Stamkos scored the only goal for the Predators, who have lost five straight and now have 10 losses in their last 12 games. Justus Annunen made 22 saves in the loss for Nashville, while Stars goaltender Jake Oettinger made 28 saves in the win.

Dallas now leads the season series, 2-1. The Stars earned a 4-3 Opening Night win over the Predators at Bridgestone Arena, and Nashville secured a 4-1 victory Dec. 12 in Dallas. The Central Division rivals will face off for a fourth and final time in the last game of the regular season April 16 in Nashville.

Bunting-O'Reilly-Evangelista
Forsberg-Stamkos-L'Heureux
Smith-McCarron-Vrana
Bellows-Svechkov-Wiesblatt

Skjei-Blankenburg
Del Gaizo-Barron
Englund-Oesterle

Annunen
Saros

Extra: Stastney (day-to-day, upper-body), Marchessault (day-to-day, lower-body), Sissons (week-to-week, lower-body), Wood
IR: Lauzon, Josi, Wilsby

The Predators announced prior to Thursday's game that defenseman Spencer Stastney would be out of the lineup and is considered day-to-day with an upper-body injury. Forwards Colton Sissons and Marchessault, who missed each of the previous two games with lower-body injuries, will also miss Thursday's contest against Dallas.

Forward Ozzy Wiesblatt, whom the Predators recalled from the AHL's Milwaukee Admirals Thursday morning, slots in on the fourth line with Kieffer Bellows and Fedor Svechkov. Wiesblatt adds depth to the Predators' injury-depleted forward group after Nashville was forced to ice 11 forwards and seven defensemen in each of their last two games.

Forward Matthew Wood, the Predators' 2023 first-round draft pick who signed his three-year, entry-level contract on Saturday, has joined the team in Dallas but has yet to make his NHL debut with the team.

After the first 20 minutes, Nashville is outshooting Dallas, 17-5. Both goaltenders have been tremendous and kept the game scoreless after the first period.

The Predators finally scored on their 18th shot, and what a shot it was. Steven Stamkos scored in transition, taking a no-look wrist shot from the bottom of the right circle that beat Oettinger five-hole to give Nashville a 1-0 lead at the 4:37 mark of the second period.

Two former Predators forwards combined on the game-tying goal late in the second period, as Mikael Granlund redirected a Matt Duchene shot for a goal to make it 1-1 with 36 seconds left in the frame.

It took just 39 seconds for the Stars to take the lead in the third period. Duchene won a puck battle along the boards and found Mason Marchment in the left circle for the score to give Dallas a 2-1 lead.

Then, Predators defenseman Andreas Englund got caught in a 3-on-1 in transition, and Roope Hintz finished off a tic-tac-toe passing play from Mikko Rantanen and Jason Robertson to extend the Stars' lead to 3-1 at the 5:47 mark of the third period.

Approximately four minutes later, Wyatt Johnston got a breakaway chance, deked around Annunen and scored to extend his own goal streak to six games and give Dallas the 4-1 lead.

The Stars got their fourth goal of the period scores from rookie defenseman Lian Bichsel, who broke a 28-game scoring drought with a shot from the left circle on a saucer pass from Rantanen to extend Dallas' lead to 5-1 at the 12:42 mark.