Cody Glass scored late in the second period and Juuse Saros withstood Boston's furious third period barrage to come away with two points and the upset over the Bruins.
Cody Glass scored late in the second period and Juuse Saros withstood Boston's furious third period barrage to come away with two points and the upset over the Bruins.
Tonight the Nashville Predators headed to TD Garden to take on the NHL's best team this season, the Boston Bruins. A depleted Nashville team - now without veteran forward Matt Duchene - pieced together a roster of young talent to compete against the 57-11-5 Bruins.
Boston has won eight of their last ten games and with a healthy roster and a playoff spot already wrapped up, they are a team looking forward to a postseason run. David Pastrnak is having a career year with 51 goals in 73 games while Brad Marchand, Patrice Bergeron, and David Krejci join him in recording 50+ points so far this season. Linus Ullmark, who got the start in net tonight for the Bruins, is the frontrunner for the Vezina Trophy boasting a .937 save percentage.
Game Recap
Nashville's penalty kill was tested early as Luke Evangelista headed to the penalty box for a tripping call less than three minutes into the game. Boston's power play put two shots on net, but Juuse Saros kept the Bruins off the scoreboard through the two minutes.
Brad Marchand gave Nashville their first try on the power play on a tripping call at 8:50. Nashville initially set up in the offensive zone, but Boston's number one penalty kill tied up the puck and kept the Predators from reestablishing possession in front of Ullmark as time wound down.
Former Bruin Jeremy Lauzon gave Boston their second power play chance as he lifted the puck over the glass and sat two minutes for delay of game. Nashville's penalty kill kept the puck away from Pastrnak and the first power play unit, and Saros came up with a key save to keep Boston off the scoreboard through the two minutes.
The special teams rotation continued as Nashville took their second chance on the power play at 16:00. Boston got a shorthanded chance early, but a penalty on Brad Marchand gave Nashville :25 of five on three time. The Bruins cleared the puck eliminating much of the five on three opportunity. Dante Fabbro headed to the box during the remainder of the power play for gloving the puck. The teams played four on four until Marchand came out of the box. The period ended with no score and :58 seconds carrying over to the second period for the Bruins power play.
Nashville killed off the remaining power play at the start of the second period, and the teams returned to five a side briefly. Cal Foote headed back to the busy penalty box at 1:40 for cross checking. David Pastrnak evened the game to four on four play with a boarding call. The penalties finally expired, and the teams returned to five on five play.
Five on five play was interrupted as Egor Afanasyev went to the penalty box for roughing at 11:07. Boston spent more time in the offensive zone in front of Saros, but well timed clears kept the Bruins from scoring on the man advantage.
The Predators' tenacious play finally paid off as Dante Fabbro found Cody Glass in the high slot. Glass sent the puck past Ullmark to give the Preds a 1-0 lead at 18:11.
With less than a minute to go, Tommy Novak took a stick up high and Nashville got another chance on the power play. Nashville couldn't capitalize before the second intermission and headed to the locker room with 1:33 left on the man advantage and a 1-0 lead.
The final period opened with Nashville on the power play, but the Preds couldn't capitalize. Boston immediately upped the pressure as soon as they returned to full strength. Juuse Saros made a huge point blank save on Hampus Lindholm's shot - Boston's seventh shot less than eight minutes into the final period.
The Predators were pinned in the defensive zone as Boston hustled to even the score. The Predators responded well to the faster pace and increased pressure while Saros continued to make key saves under fire.
Linus Ullmark headed to the bench to bring on Boston's extra attacker with two minutes remaining. A fortunate clear by Jeremy Lauzon bounced off Cole Smith and into the empty net. The Bruins weren't finished working for a comeback, and with .00.3 seconds remaining Pastrnak scored to steal the shutout from Saros. Time expired, and Nashville headed out of TD Gardens with the surprise win.
Game Notes
1. You can't help but be impressed by tonight's lineup. The Predators top six averaged 23 years old and just 72 NHL games. Somehow this team battled against the top team in the league with a roster of all stars and a Vezina frontrunner in net. The penalty kill was especially important as the Preds made too many trips to the box.
2. Juuse Saros (and Luke Evangelista) made key saves. Evangelista cleared a puck from behind Saros before it could cross the goal line early and Saros managed the increased pressure late to keep Nashville in this game. Saros deserved the shutout, but the Preds will have to settle for two points and the win.
3. Cody Glass continues to work to prove he is a number one center. His NHL path has not been linear, but Glass is putting in the hard work. Tonight was another example of Glass reaping the rewards of that work.
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