It was a goaltending battle between Connor Hellebuyck and Juuse Saros, but Tanner Jeannot scored the third period game winner to give Nashville an important Central Division win.
Tonight the Nashville Predators welcomed Central Division rival Winnipeg Jets to Bridgestone Arena. The 31-16-1 Jets are one of the hottest teams in the Division with exceptional goaltending from Connor Hellebuyck, prolific offensive production from Mark Scheifele, Kyle Connor, and Pierre-Luc Dubois, and a defense that has helped earn the team the sixth best goal against per game average in the entire league.
The Predators are coming off of a strong win against the L.A. Kings on Saturday night after a closed door meeting between the players and coaches to address the inconsistency and effort of the team. Tonight Nashville had another chance to put forth a strong effort especially from the veteran core of Matt Duchene, Ryan Johansen, Mikael Granlund, and Filip Forsberg.
The main attraction tonight was found between the pipes as two Vezina conversation worthy goalies got the start in net for their respective teams. Connor Hellebuyck and Juuse Saros have each willed their teams to wins, and tonight looked to be a game in which two of the top net minders would battle it out on one sheet of ice.
Game Recap
It didn’t take long for the Jets to show why they are one of the top team in Western Conference right now. A low pass to Pierre-Luc Dubois set up the first goal of the game at just :48. Tempers flared after a hard hit, and Logan Stanley and Alexandre Carrier dropped the gloves and earned five minutes for fighting.
Nashville took a minute to respond and clean up shaky mistakes, but camped out for extended offensive zone time and a handful of quality chances. Hellebuyck held fast. Saros took a turn impressing the crowd in net as he faced a breakaway chance and saved it cleanly mid way through the period.
Shortly after that, the Jets enjoyed extended offensive zone time in front of Saros, but the Predators defense played well in front of their goaltender. Nashville was finally able to clear the puck, get a line change, and generate offensive chances of their own.
Cody Glass missed a net front tip in opportunity twice and Hellebuyck came up with strong saves on one end of the ice while Saros handled Winnipeg’s pressure. The period ended with the Jets up 1-0 and the shot count 15-12 in favor of Winnipeg.
The second period started with a flurry of chances for the Predators, but the team couldn't finish past Hellebuyck. At 3:16, Mattias Ekholm headed to the penalty box for a delay of game penalty, and the Jets power play went to work. Winnipeg recorded several shots on net, but Saros came up with the special teams saves the Preds needed. The two minutes expired, and the teams returned to five a side.
The teams traded chances and zone time, but it was Cody Glass who got Nashville on the board at 13:49 with a deflection past Hellebuyck. The Predators earned their first power play chance as Blake Wheeler headed to the box at 15:41 for a hooking call. Nashville generated chances on the power play, but couldn't find the back of the net and the Jets returned to full strength.
With one minute remaining in the period, Jeremy Lauzon headed to the box for a tripping call. The first half of the power play didn't yield much, and the teams headed to the second intermission with a minute remaining on Winnipeg's man advantage and the score tied.
The final period began with Nashville shorthanded, but the Preds were able to kill off the remainder of the Lauzon infraction and returned to full strength. The teams again traded opportunities up and down the ice. Finally - FINALLY Tanner Jeannot found the back of the net for the first time since October 27 on a wrap around shot at 5:38.
The Jeannot goal gave the Preds a boost and a holding call on Kyle Connor at 10:20 gave them their second power play opportunity. The power play generated chances, but neither the first nor second unit could capitalize.
A giant scrum in front of a Saros save with less than five minutes left resulted in a tossed helmet but no penalties. As time wound down, the Jets upped their pressure. With 2:04 left, Hellebuyck headed to the bench and Winnipeg brought on an extra attacker. Nashville missed chances on the empty net, and then with :05 seconds remaining, a cross check by Yakov Trenin gave the Jets the two man advantage. The Preds won the ensuing faceoff, pinned the puck against the boards, and walked out of Bridgestone Arena with two valuable points.
Game Notes
1. This was a classic goaltending battle. Each team generated quality chances, but neither Hellebuyck nor Saros were interested in giving up goals.
2. Tanner Jeannot bounced back with the game winning goal in the third period. Jeannot has been the epitome of "snakebit", only scoring three goals this season until tonight. The response at Bridgestone when his goal went in the net was a resounding roar.
3. This is a statement win for the team. The Preds have a long way to go to solidify a spot in the post season, but walking away with two points over Hellebuyck and the Jets is an excellent step in the right direction.