Juuso Pärssinen, Steven Stamkos score for Nashville in second straight loss; Ovechkin scores career goal No. 861 for Washington
A gutsy effort by Juuse Saros and the Nashville Predators fell just short as they fell to the Washington Capitals, 3-2, Wednesday at Capital One Arena.
Saros was exceptional between the pipes for Nashville, turning aside 33 shots for a .917 save percentage against a Washington offense that ranked seventh in the NHL in total goals for (46) entering Wednesday's contest.
The Predators also showed some life on offense and had a strong net-front presence against Washington, a positive sign after Monday's 3-0 shutout loss to the Los Angeles Kings at home. According to Natural Stat Trick, Nashville had 13 high-danger chances against the Capitals, compared to just eight against the Kings.
How the Predators lined up vs. Washington
Forsberg - O'Reilly - Stamkos
Marchessault - Sissons - Nyquist
Tomasino - Pärssinen - Evangelista
L'Heureux - McCarron - Smith
Josi - Skjei
Lauzon - Carrier
Del Gaizo - Schenn
Saros
Wedgewood
Extra: Fabbro, Jankowski, Novak*
*Tommy Novak was a late scratch, and the team announced that he is day-to-day with an upper-body injury.
Game Summary
For just the fourth time this season, the Predators scored the first goal of the game as Juuso Pärssinen tipped in a Luke Evangelista shot from the blue line for his first goal of the season to give Nashville a 1-0 lead just over three minutes into the first period.
Initially set to be a healthy scratch in Wednesday's contest, Evangelista was a late addition to the Predators' lineup after Tommy Novak's injury update. Evangelista and Pärssinen played on Nashville's third line alongside Philip Tomasino, who had been healthy scratched for the previous seven games.
Just over a minute after Pärssinen's tally, familiar demons haunted the Predators as a defensive breakdown left Connor McMichael all alone in front of the net for an easy, game-tying goal.
The Predators got into some penalty trouble early, logging two trips and an interference call in the first period alone, but their top-ranked penalty kill came through with a 100% success rate against Washington.
The score remained knotted at 1-1 until the 15:03 mark of the second period, when Alexander Ovechkin found Aliaksai Protas unattended in front of the net for the go-ahead goal. This time, the Predators had a quick response, as Steven Stamkos tipped home a shot from the point by Alexandre Carrier to tie the score once again at 2-2.
Ovechkin broke the tie at 10:35 of the third period with a wrist shot from the right circle. The Predators appeared to tie the score again as Marc Del Gaizo and Jonathan Marchessault crashed the net with 7:47 left in regulation, but the officials called no goal due to goaltender interference.
Nashville challenged the call on the ice but was unsuccessful, and the Predators killed the ensuing penalty for delay of game. Saros was pulled from the net for the extra attacker with 90 seconds remaining in regulation, and despite sustained pressure in the offensive zone in the final minutes of the period, Nashville was unable to find the back of the net to send the game to overtime. Washington won by a final score of 3-2, and the Predators moved to 4-8-1 on the season.
Key Takeaways
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Up Next
The Predators will wrap up their back-to-back road set Thursday with a visit to the defending Stanley Cup champions in Florida. Puck drop is at 6 p.m. CT, and the game will be broadcast regionally on FanDuel Sports Network South and on ESPN+ for out-of-market customers in the United States.
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