Josi scores twice, Marchessault notches a goal and an assist to power Nashville past the team with the best record in the NHL.

Roman Josi scored twice, and Steven Stamkos and Jonathan Marchessault added a goal apiece to power the Nashville Predators to a 4-1 win over the NHL's best team in the Winnipeg Jets Saturday at Bridgestone Arena.

 Juuse Saros made 23 saves in goal for the Predators, while Eric Comrie made 32 for the Jets. The Predators, who were coming off a 3-0 shutout loss to the Seattle Kraken on Wedmesday, showed noticeable improvement in their 5-on-5 play and outshot Winnipeg, 36-24. 

"Coming after a two week road trip, the first came back's always a little scary," head coach Andrew Brunette said after the win. "The first period was a little sluggish. We've had games this year where we've never really found our game, or we've lost some momentum, or a disallowed goal would kind of throw us in a little bit of a tailspin. I thought the group grabbed it, and we learned from past experiences."

With the win, Nashville improves to 7-11-3 on the season.

How the Predators lined up vs. Winnipeg

Forsberg - O'Reilly - Nyquist
Stamkos - Svechkov - Evangelista
Jankowski - Novak - Marchessault
L'Heureux - Sissons - Smith

Lauzon - Josi
Skjei - Carrier
Del Gaizo - Schenn

Saros
Wedgewood

Extra: Tomasino, Pärssinen, McCarron*

The Predators announced at the start of warmups that forward Michael McCarron is day-to-day with an upper-body injury.

Game Summary

The Predators' top-ranked penalty kill unit saw some action early, successfully killing a two-minute bench minor for too many men on the ice at 3:40 of the first period. Nashville was also the first team to find the back of the net when Josi fired a clapper from the blue line to make it 1-0 at 9:55 of the frame.

Nashville appeared to extend the lead to 2-0 less than a minute later when Alexandre Carrier knocked in the rebound off a Colton Sissons shot; but a successful coach's challenge by Winnipeg ruled the play was offside, and the goal was waved off.

Nashville's 1-0 lead lasted until the halfway point of the second period, when Adam Lowry capitalized on a rebound chance for Winnipeg's first goal of the game to tie the score at 1-1. The Predators retook the lead early in the third on a power-play goal from Stamkos, seconds before Josh Morrissey's hooking penalty was set to expire. 

Marchessault added to Nashville's lead less than two minutes later with an unassisted goal from the high slot. It was his first goal since Nashville's Nov. 9 win over Utah Hockey Club. Josi scored into the empty net at 18:40 for the 4-1 final.

Brunette and the players alike acknowledged the team's need to build consistency and carry momentum from one strong performance into the next game. Brunette said that the team is in "dire straits" as they look to rebound from a first quarter that saw them underperform in relation to the high expectations surrounding them.

"The story of this year has been we have efforts like this and then we don’t’ follow it up," Stamkos said after the game. "So, let’s follow it up and get on a little roll here."

Key Takeaways

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Up Next

The Predators will head north to face the New Jersey Devils Monday at Prudential Center. 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.

Visit The Hockey News Nashville Predators team site to stay updated on the latest news, game day coverage, player features, podcasts and more.

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