Juuse Saros did all he could to keep Nashville in this game, but goals by Jake Guentzel and Jason Zucker went unanswered by the Predators.
Juuse Saros did all he could to keep Nashville in this game, but goals by Jake Guentzel and Jason Zucker went unanswered by the Predators.
Tonight the Nashville Predators took the ice at PPG Paints Arena to play the Pittsburgh Penguins. Both teams are a part of the wildcard conversation, but the Preds are on the outside hoping to sneak in while the Penguins currently hold the second wildcard spot in the Eastern Conference but are looking over their shoulders at Florida and Buffalo.
The Preds entered tonight's game after a shocking 2-1 win over the Boston Bruins earlier in the week while the Penguins dropped their game Tuesday night against the Detroit Red Wings. Nashville rolled out their far less experienced top two lines against some of the league's best veterans in Pittsburgh. Juuse Saros took his place in net.
Game Recap
Nashville got an early power play chance at 4:31 as Jake Guentzel headed to the penalty box after high sticking Cody Glass. The Predators power play got a few shots on net but couldn't capitalize on the man advantage. A crosschecking call at 7:35 gave Nashville another chance to execute on the power play, but Pittsburgh tied up the puck and the teams returned to five a side.
Juuse Saros made key saves midway through the period as Pittsburgh generated momentum after their successful penalty kills. The Penguins got their chance on the power play at 16:25 after Phil Tomasino headed to the box for a tripping call. A solid defensive play by Cal Foote kept Crosby from slipping a loose puck around Saros, and Nashville's pesky kill ended the man advantage with no harm done.
The final minutes of the first period were a flurry of activity in front of both Saros and Jarry, but the teams headed to their respective locker rooms with no score after one.
The second period started with a penalty at :16 on the Penguins, but Nashville again couldn't capitalize. Luke Evangelista gave Pittsburgh their power play opportunity at 6:15, but the pesky Predators penalty kill combined with absolute fortitude in net by Saros negated the two minute advantage.
Jarry came up with big stops on shots by Ryan McDonagh and Kiefer Sherwood midway through the period.The first score finally came at 14:15 as Jason Zucker tapped the puck past Saros to give the Penguins the 1-0 lead. The goal spurred Pittsburgh to close out the period with a flurry of offensive pressure, and the teams headed into the second intermission with the Pens up a goal.
Pittsburgh continued their offensive pressure as the final period began, and again Saros had to come up with key saves. Nashville struggled to clear the puck and establish time in the O zone.
Phil Tomasino took a turnover in the neutral zone towards Jarry, but the Penguins' goaltender was able to make the stop. The Predators finally got some time in the offensive zone about halfway through the final period but couldn't convert on their shot chances.
With 7:05 remaining, Cal Foote headed to the penalty box for a roughing call, and the Penguins power play went to work. Jake Guentzel made quick work on the man advantage tipping the puck past Saros to give Pittsburgh a 2-0 lead.
Nashville committed another penalty as the time wound down. Novak headed to the bench for a slash. This time Saros made the necessary saves. Once the penalty expired, Saros headed to the bench with less than a minute remaining, but Nashville couldn't dig out of the two goal deficit.
Game Notes
1. Nashville must get the power play back on track. It isn't that the Preds can't generate chances, it's that they aren't finishing them. There is a lot of potential, but that needs to convert to the scoreboard.
2. The Preds didn't get to those high danger areas. When Nashville had possession, they spent too much time chasing the game around the boards and not getting the puck into quality shot areas.
3. Juuse Saros was incredible in this game. Saros faced an absolute barrage of shots - many of them high danger - and somehow kept Nashville in this game. As the Predators work on a roster reset going forward, Saros is going to carry Nashville to much of the success that comes their way in the process.
Related Reading:
Three Keys to Nashville's Surprising Win Over the Bruins
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