Tommy Novak, Roman Josi, and Nino Niederreiter scored for Nashville, but a bad bounce gave Minnesota the last second win in a critical Central Division matchup.
The Nashville Predators headed to Minnesota for their second game in a back to back after getting a big 7-3 win over the Florida Panthers yesterday afternoon. The Minnesota Wild entered the game five poinst ahead of Nashville in the wild card race, but they have struggled since the All Star break going 2-4-1 in their last seven games.
Today felt like a "must win" game for the Predators who sit on the fence between a potential playoff run and a future roster rebuild. With the trade deadline looming, the outcome of today's game weighs heavily when it comes to David Poile's moves before March 3.
Game Recap
Juuse Saros had to be attentive early as the Wild peppered the net in the first period. Nashville got a chance on the power play at 5:09, but the best chances were two shorthanded opportunities the Wild generated. Saros made big saves and Nino Niederreiter took over in net when Saros was out of position to stop a sure goal. The Preds regrouped but couldn't capitalize, and the teams returned to five a side.
The Wild's power play got their first chance at 13:20 when Dante Fabbro headed to the box for a tripping call. Minnesota has been lethal on the man advantage recently, but Nashville was able to manage the two minutes, and the penalty expired with no harm done.
The first period pace picked up as the clock wound down, but neither team could break through. The Preds and Wild headed to their locker rooms with no score after twenty minutes.
The Wild scored just :09 into the second period as Freddy Gaudreau tossed the puck on net and Brandon Duhaime tapped it past Saros to give Minnesota a 1-0 lead. A high stick penalty committed by Jeremy Lauzon provided the Wild's power play another chance. Kirill Kaprizov tapped home a rebound to quickly make it a 2-0 game less than two minutes into the second.
The Predators pinned the Wild into the zone and created offensive chances against a tired defense. When Minnesota finally got the puck cleared, Dante Fabbro was called for a trip at 5:11. Saros made big saves and the Preds were able to kill this penalty off. The power play didn't result in a goal but it built momentum for the Wild who continued to attack offensively and swarm defensively.
The Predators spent most of the second period struggling to push back and through the Wild's pressure. The effort finally paid off at 17:03 as Tommy Novak scored on a two on one chance to bring Nashville within one. The second period ended with the Wild up 2-1.
Minnesota struck early in a period again as Kirill Kaprizov snuck past the defense and scored at 1:23 to give Minnesota a two goal lead again. At 4:14 Nashville earned another power play chance on a holding call. The Preds had some time in front of Gustavsson and recorded four shots on net but couldn't break through.
At 10:04 Nino Niederreiter headed to the penalty box for a double minor high stick call, and the Wild's power play went back to work. Nashville played aggressively on the kill and only allowed three shots in the four minutes.
Roman Josi brought the Preds within one goal at 15:04 with a shot from the left circle. As time would down Nashville went empty net and with less than a minute left, Nino Niederreiter tipped the puck in to tie the game. Just when it looked like Nashville may have a chance to earn points, a shot from the blue line bounced past Saros with just :20 remaining to make it a final score of 4-3.
Game Notes
1. Nashville's late goal to tie the game was valiant, but it takes sixty minutes of hockey to win. The Predators played an even first period, but once the Wild scored early in the second Nashville was chasing the game. They did a good job to even the score late, but it wasn't enough to get those critical points.
2. The Predators seem to waver too long when things go wrong. After giving up two goal early in the second period, it took most of the remainder of those twenty minutes to find their confidence and push back. The players need to adopt the Ted Lasso goldfish lesson and play with a ten second memory.
3. This game has big implications. An already difficult road to the playoffs just got even more challenging for Nashville, and the outcome of today's game may make it more likely David Poile takes calls and makes deals before the trade deadline.
Related Reading:
Predators - 7, Panthers - 3: Tommy Novak, Roman Josi, Power Play Shine in Important Win
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