A game-tying goal for the Predators was just a few ticks too late.
Nashville ultimately fell to the St. Louis Blues by a 3-2 final on Thursday night at Bridgestone Arena. The result sees the Blues sweep the season series against the Preds as Nashville was officially eliminated from playoff contention.
Fedor Svehckov and Brady Skjei tallied for the Preds, and Jonathan Marchessault appeared to have tied the game as time expired in regulation, but the puck entered the net about one second after the clock hit zero, a bit of a microcosm of Nashville’s season.
“It's frustrating,” Preds forward Filip Forsberg said. “We played a pretty solid game, and then in the third, I think we sat back a little too much, but it's two shifts. They [got two goals] - bang, bang - and then we backed down. And yeah, especially for the season, I mean, sadly, that’s kind of the theme. I keep bringing that up, but we're not doing anything really to change it.”
“Pretty much epitomizes the whole year in one game,” Preds Head Coach Andrew Brunette said simply.
Nashville’s first of the night came less than three minutes into the contest when Svechkov went top shelf on Blues goaltender Joel Hofer, and Skjei put his club up by two when his wrister found twine on the power play midway through the opening frame.
Dylan Holloway got the visitors on the board halfway through the second stanza when his shot beat Juuse Saros, and then, in a span of less than 30 seconds in the final frame, a goal from Cam Fowler, and another from Holloway, gave the Blues the only lead they’d need.
As the Predators pushed late, Marchessault collected a loose puck in front and put it into the net, but time had just expired to erase just a moment of jubilation that turned to frustration.
“Obviously they're a team fighting for their lives and desperation, and they found a way to win, and we found a way to lose again,” Preds centerman Ryan O’Reilly said. “It was a fun game, the intensity of it, the physicality of a good team, and we played hard for the most part… It's unfortunate to not come out on top.”
With just 10 more games left in the regular season ahead, the Predators will now shift their focus to the final stretch in a campaign that hasn’t gone the way anyone would have hoped.
“This was a playoff [style of ] game, and we showed kind of where we are - why we are where we are versus where they are,” Forsberg said. “I think there's tons to learn and tons of things we’ve got to work on. It's a great opportunity every time we step on the ice to do that. It’s going to have to be that mindset…trying to try to get better, get tighter and do things better.”
Notes:
Andreas Englund returned to the Nashville lineup on Thursday night with defenseman Jordan Oesterle and forward Jakub Vrana serving as healthy scratches. Englund’s assist on Svechkov’s goal was his first point as a member of the Preds.
Nashville’s two-game homestand concludes on Saturday evening when the Vegas Golden Knights come to town for a special 5:30 p.m. CT puck drop.
