Veterans Matt Duchene and Filip Forsberg and depth players Cole Smith and Tanner Jeannot combined to get Nashville a big win over Jack Hughes and the New Jersey Devils.
The Nashville Predators welcomed the 31-12-4 New Jersey Devils to Bridgestone Arena tonight in their final game before the All Star break. The Devils are one of the hottest teams in the league thanks to Jack Hughes, a player whose season has earned him serious consideration in the Hart Trophy conversation. Nico Hischier, Jesper Bratt, and Dougie Hamilton each have forty plus points as well. New Jersey has gotten great goaltending from Vitek Vanecek, but tonight Mackenzie Blackwood got the start in net.
The Predators won two big games earlier this week against the L.A. Kings and Winnipeg Jets. An important part of that success has been improved play from the veterans. Ryan Johansen, Matt Duchene, Mikael Granlund, and Roman Josi were also key to the Predators December 1 overtime win over the Devils, and tonight those veterans would need to play some of their best hockey against a red hot Devils team.
The Predators were without defenseman Alexandre Carrier who will miss 4-6 weeks with an upper body injury sustained in Tuesday night's game against the Jets. Nashville recalled Kevin Gravel from Milwaukee today, and he joined Dante Fabbro on the third defensive pairing. Juuse Saros got the start in net in his last game before heading off to Florida to represent the Preds at the All Star Game.
Game Recap
Both teams spent the first eight minutes of the game settling in and exchanging chances. A high stick call at 7:59 gave Nashville the first chance on the power play. The Preds first unit peppered Blackwood with shots for a majority of the two minutes but couldn't find the back of the net. As the team returned to full strength, a stretch pass from Dougie Hamilton found Jesper Bratt who scored at 10:19.
Immediately after the goal, Mackenzie Blackwood was called for tripping Nino Niederreiter. This time Nashville capitalized on the man advantage as Cody Glass cleaned up a rebound to tie the game at 12:24.
A quick zone entry led to a shot by Yegor Sharangovich that bounced off Saros and in the net to give the Devils the lead again at 15:57. Nashville wasted no time tying the game up as Cole Smith tipped in his second goal of the season a 16:20 and a fan celebrated by tossing a catfish on the ice.
The period ended tied 2-2. The Preds finished the first period with the most shots on goal in an opening period all season, outshooting the Devils 22-8.
The Devils took the lead back in the second period as Jack Hughes cleaned up a loose puck in front of the net at 4:06. New Jersey got their first chance on the power play as Cody Glass was called for interference at 8:11. Despite extended time in front of Saros, the Devils only got one shot on net and the teams returned to full strength.
Ryan Johansen scooped up a misplayed defensive zone clear by the Devils and put it on net. Mikael Granlund cleaned up the rebound to tie the game back up 3-3 at 11:33. The goal jump started the Preds offense as they pressured Blackwood with extended zone time. The second period ended tied 3-3 with each team recording ten shots on goal.
At 5:22 in the final period, Cole Smith headed to the penalty box for a high stick infraction. Tanner Jeannot had an early shorthanded chance, but he wasn't able to finish. The Devils set up in front of the net, but Saros made the saves and the teams returned to five a side.
Nashville earned their first lead of the game as Matt Duchene entered the zone between the defenders and put back his own rebound at 8:49. New Jersey pushed back after the Predators took the lead, but Filip Forsberg gave Nashville a two goal lead with a breakaway goal at 16:05.
The Devils went empty net after Forsberg's goal and brought on the extra attacker. With 2:14 left, Dawson Mercer get New Jersey within one goal. Tanner Jeannot secured the win with an empty net goal at 19:52, and the Predators earned an impressive 6-4 win over the New Jersey Devils.
Game Notes
1. The young players came up big for Nashville. Cody Glass scored his seventh goal of the season on the power play, Juuso Pärssinen recorded two assists, and Tommy Novak earned an assist. The youth continue to contribute to the Preds' success.
2. The core stepped up their game did again tonight. Nashville's core group has been inconsistent this season, but they have shown up for the Preds in these last three games. Mikael Granlund, Matt Duchene, and Filip Forsberg each scored a goal while Ryan Johansen and Roman Josi earned assists.
3. The Predators are playing with confidence. After a closed door meeting on Saturday Nashville has played some of their best hockey of the season. The team heads into the All Star break with six points over three playoff caliber teams and hopes to bring that same confidence back to the ice when they return to action on February 7.