Leon Draisaitl proved to be the Nashville Predators kryptonite again as the Preds stumbled in a 6-1 loss.
The Nashville Predators welcomed the 0-2 Edmonton Oilers to Bridgestone Arena and celebrated the return of former Predator Mattias Ekholm. Ekholm was traded to the Oilers February 28, and the deal added Tyson Barrie to Nashville's roster as a part of the return.
Tonight head coach Andrew Brunette stayed with a familiar lineup.
Leon Draisaitl, who has been a thorn in Nashville's side for several seasons, skated on a line tonight with Connor McDavid and Evander Kane. Jack Campbell got the start in net for the Oilers.
The Oilers took the lead on a power play goal scored by Draisaitl at 8:11 after Roman Josi headed to the penalty box for an interference call. At 10:23 Darnell Nurse served two minutes for a cross check on Tommy Novak. Nashville's power play generated some looks but again struggled to finish their offensive chances, and the teams returned to five a side.
Zach Hyman and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins each scored backside goals at 13:38 and 16:45 respectively to give Edmonton a 3-0 lead. With two minutes remaining in the first period, Nashville turned the puck over in the neutral zone and Connor McDavid made the Preds pay with a breakaway goal. The teams headed into the first intermission with a 4-0 Edmonton lead.
The second period began with Kevin Lankinen taking his place in net for the Predators. Connor McDavid headed to the bench at :59 for a cross check, and at 2:08 Tommy Novak scored a power play goal on a shot from the slot past Campbell. Nashville went right back on the power play at 2:23 as Cody Ceci headed to the box for hooking, but the Predators couldn't make it two power play goals in a row.
Draissaitl and Edmonton did capitalize on their power play at 7:53 while Filip Forsberg sat for a slashing call. Evan Bouchard and McDavid assisted on the backside goal to make it a 5-1 game.
At 15:27 Warren Foegele got his chance to add to his assist on Nugent-Hopkins goal with a back side goal of his own to extend Edmonton's lead to 6-1. The teams finished up forty minutes of hockey with Nashville leading 33-25 in shots on goal but Edmonton dominating on the scoreboard.
The Predators were able to kill a Filip Forsberg penalty midway through the third period but unable to finish any of their offensive chances up to that point. Neither team could breakthrough in the third, and the game ended with a final score of 6-1.