Colton Sissons scored in his 500th career game, but the Predators' anemic second and third periods doomed Nashville to a solid drubbing by the Blues.
It was a Central Division showdown that could have early postseason implications as the Nashville Predators traveled to Missouri to take on the St. Louis Blues. The Blues and Preds have had similar trajectories so far this season but for different reasons. St. Louis has dealt with quite a few injuries while Nashville has struggled with consistency.
Head Coach John Hynes started the same lines and D pairings as in the last few games.
Juuse Saros got the start in net for Nashville while Jordan Binnington took his place between the pipes for the Blues.
Game Recap
The Predators struck first at 2:03 when Tommy Novak tapped a rebound past Binnington, but the Blues challenged for goalie interference. Early contact by Jeremy Lauzon in the blue paint overturned the goal and the teams returned to play with no score.
Nashville caught another break at 5:38 as Pavel Buchnevich was called for a hook. The anemic Preds power play looked better than in the last few games, but none of the three shots on net got past Binnington.
It was a back and forth opening period. Both goaltenders protected the nets and both teams jockeyed for possession. The teams headed into the first intermission with a 0-0 score.
The tie was quickly broken as Brayden Schenn sent a very early shot five hole to score at :11 in the second period. The early goal gave the Blues momentum briefly, but a quick play by Cole Smith to chase down the puck and pass it to Colton Sissons in the slot tied the game 1-1 at 2:36.
Nashville hoped to build off that offensive play, but Juuso Pärssinen lifted the puck over the glass and headed to the penalty box for delay of game at 2:58. The Predators penalty kill handled the two minutes with no harm done. The pace of the game picked up as the period went on. St. Louis took the lead back as Brandon Saad powered past Tanner Jeannot and again went five hole on Saros at 8:30.
A net front scramble in front of Saros resulted in a penalty call on Mikael Granlund at 14:31, and the Preds penalty kill went back to work. Jordan Kyrou lifted the puck up and over Saros from point blank range at 15:34 to give the Blues a two goal lead. The Predators rallied late in the period with pressure, but after forty minutes of hockey the teams headed to the locker rooms with the Blues up 3-1.
The Blues struck again early in the third period with a tipped slot shot by Robert Thomas at 1:03 to give St. Louis a three goal league. Less than a minute later, Alexey Toropchenko scored to make it a 5-1 game.
Nashville earned a power play at 3:31 on a tripping call against Brayden Schenn. The Preds barely got time to exercise improved play on the man advantage before Nino Niederreiter had to take a penalty to stop a two on none shorthanded chance. The teams played four on four and then the Blues played a :43 power play. Nashville finished the brief kill, and the teams returned to five a side.
Frustration boiled over and Cole Smith and Tyler Tucker dropped the gloves for a spat and headed to their respective penalty boxes. The Preds were clearly frustrated on the ice and the body language on the bench conveyed that as well.
Another net front scrum in front of Saros resulted in Dante Fabbro heading to the box for holding the stick at 10:36. Just seconds into the Blues power play, Colton Sissons drew an interference call to transition the game to four on four. Nashville had a handful of chances but Binnington thwarted the shots, and the teams eventually returned to full strength.
At 16:16 the Predators got another chance on the power play compliments of a tripping call on Colton Parayko. Unfortunately, the opportunity to score on the power play was negated by a high sticking call on Filip Forsberg. The teams played just under a minute of four on four, and during that time Mattias Ekholm roofed the puck over Binnington to score a "save face" goal late.
St. Louis played a minute of their power play, but mercifully the power play and the game clock wound down. Nashville dropped an important Central Division game in St. Louis by a score of 6-2.
Game Notes
1. Colton Sissons scored in his 500th career game. Sissons has been a Swiss Army knife player for Nashville who provides value in so many different situations. Tonight he showed off his offensive skill with Nashville's second period goal.
2. Quick goals at the start of the second and third periods gave the Blues momentum. Nashville was able to answer back in the second, but time of possession and momentum belonged to St. Louis in the second and third after the early jumps.
3. The Predators have some serious regrouping to do. If this team wants to claw its way into any postseason, they have to find some way to rally through what could be a physical or mental issue right now. This is the slog of the season and they've played a lot of games lately, but they are running out of time to find effective, well executed, consistent play..