The Nashville Predators defeated the Minnesota Wild 2-1 last night thanks to outstanding play by Juuse Saros and special teams.
Bridgestone Arena was rocking as the Nashville Predators pulled out a 2-1 win over Central Division rival Minnesota Wild in a game with standout special teams, great goaltending, and more than a few chippy moments. The Predators went up early with two goals in the first period compliments of Nino Niederreiter and a little over a minute later Matt Duchene with a power play tally. The Wild answered back just :32 seconds into the third period, but Nashville was able to hold off Minnesota's final push to earn two valuable points in the Central Division.
So what went well for the Predators in this spicy sixty minutes of hockey?
Special Teams Were Special
It is no secret that the Predators power play has struggled to find its footing this season, hovering below a 15% success rate. Nashville had fallen back into the trap of perimeter passing and not enough traffic in front of the net early in the season when playing with the man advantage. Last night, Matt Duchene scored on a well executed power play from the high slot on a quick pass from Ryan Johansen.
The penalty kill was tested again last night against the Wild's potent power play. Nashville gave up five power play chances, including a four minute major at the end of the first period. Despite the chances, the Wild didn't score on the man advantage and Juuse Saros saved all eight shots he faced from Minnesota's power play.
Speaking of Matt Duchene and Ryan Johansen...
Duchene's power play goal was a much needed score, not just for the Predators in the game against the Wild, but also for Duchene himself who has had a slow start to this season. After setting the Preds' franchise record for goals scored in a season, Duchene has struggled early to find his shot. In the last two games, John Hynes has moved Duchene to a line with Johansen and Niederreiter hoping to push that line into more of a speed based game. Duchene's goal against the Wild came on the power play off an assist by Johansen, and it looks like those two may be able to find an offensive spark together.
Juuse Saros Strong in Net
After a brutal outing against the Seattle Kraken that saw him pulled in the first period, Juuse Saros has put together two strong performances in net for the Predators against the New York Rangers and the Wild. It is more than just better play in net for Saros as the Preds' defense and sloppy turnovers have improved in those games as well, but Saros appears to be settling in after a rocky start to the season.
The Predators still have a lot of climbing to do in the Central Division with a 7-8-1 record. This week's schedule will see the Preds taking on the 11-6 New York Islanders Thursday night and the 9-6-1 Tampa Bay Lightning. There is plenty of work for the Predators to do to dig out of the rough start to the season, but with special teams, start players, and Saros trending in the right direction, the team may be able to turn an important corner in November.
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