Filip Forsberg tallied twice and the Nashville Predators defeated the Seattle Kraken by a 5-3 final on Thursday night at Bridgestone Arena. The result gives the Preds their second consecutive victory and a win on the eve of the NHL Trade Deadline.
Brady Skjei, Michael McCarron and Luke Evangelista also found the back of the net for Nashville, and Juuse Saros made 22 stops in net to earn his 15th win of the season.
“I thought it was good,” Forsberg said of the effort. “A little bit of a shock start there [with Seattle scoring quickly], but after that, I thought we played really well, especially the first and the second [periods]. In the third, we sat back maybe a little too much, but two periods that were really good and controlling hockey.”
“I thought after that first shift, we really played a solid game,” Skjei said. “We got a little loose at the end, but for the most part, those first two periods were really solid, and you could tell we were contesting a lot of pucks…getting a lot of chances, and it was nice to get rewarded with some goals, so we should be proud of our effort. I think we can clean up a few things at the end, but overall, I'd be happy with the win.”
Seattle needed just 32 seconds into the game to take a 1-0 lead courtesy of a goal from Adam Larsson, but it was all Preds after that. Forsberg evened the score as he took a feed from Colton Sissons and deposited a shot in tight past Kraken goaltender Joey Daccord as Nashville outshot Seattle by a 17-5 mark in the opening 20 minutes.
In the second stanza, Skjei gave the Predators their first lead of the night on a wrister from the high slot, and Forsberg potted his second when an attempted centering feed to Sissons deflected in off a Seattle defender instead. Then, just before the period was out, McCarron converted on a wraparound to put the Preds up by three with Ozzy Wiesblatt recording his first NHL point with an assist on the goal.
“It was great to see him get his first point,” McCarron said of Wiesblatt. “He's a great kid. And so is [linemate Jake Lucchini]. I think those two guys are making a name for themselves on this team… Ozzy's been up a couple times now, and Lucchini has been here for a bit. So those two guys are playing really well, and it's been fun to play with them a couple games in a row now.”
“I loved his game,” Preds Head Coach Andrew Brunette said of Wiesblatt. “Exactly what we're hoping for and looking for. Every time we see him, he's more comfortable. I thought he was a major factor. We need his energy, a little bit like Cole Smith. He kind of brings that kind of energy, that speed. He's on top of pucks. There's no room when he's there. He made some really nice plays. So, it was great to see him. I thought he was outstanding tonight.”
In the final frame, the Kraken had their chances, and they converted on a power play to cut the Nashville lead to just two, but Evangelista threw a puck into an empty net late in regulation to close out the scoring for the Preds. Seattle added one more, but that was as close as they came as the Predators followed up an impressive effort on Tuesday in Boston with another solid showing two nights later - and a few more bounces in their favor.
“For the most part of the year, we haven't been getting rewarded like that,” Forsberg said. “To see those pucks go in and kind of get a few bounces that go our way and end up in the back from that, it was great. So, hopefully we just keep building and keep doing that. But a lot of that starts from us turning the puck or us getting on them and making them turn the puck over. So that was a huge emphasis today, and we did a great job of that.”
The Predators will try for three straight wins when they host the Blackhawks on Saturday, and they’ll do so after the passing of the NHL Trade Deadline on Friday afternoon - a challenging time to navigate in the schedule, but a test they’re embracing nonetheless.
“It's obviously a really tough time of the year,” Skjei said. “Every year it happens, and it’s guys and friends that you've been battling with all year. I thought tonight was obviously a great answer for us [after] coming this morning and seeing some of the news and seeing guys leave that have been here for a little bit. I thought we did a great job tonight of answering that. And obviously, wish nothing but the best for those guys.”
Notes:
Prior to Thursday’s game, the Preds recalled forward Ozzy Wiesblatt from Milwaukee for his third stint with Nashville this season. Wiesblatt recorded his first career assist and registered two shots and three hits in 10:43 of ice time.
Nashville’s two healthy scratches on Thursday night were newcomers. Forward Jakub Vrana and defensemen Jordan Oesterle, claimed on waivers by Nashville on Thursday afternoon from Washington and Boston, respectively, were not in the lineup against Seattle.
Per NHL Stats, Filip Forsberg (2g) recorded his 48th career multi-goal game and surpassed Kent Nilsson (47) for the fourth most by a Swedish-born player. The list is topped by Mats Sundin (81), Daniel Alfredsson (64) and Markus Naslund (52).
The Predators will conclude their quick, two-game homestand on Saturday night when they host the Chicago Blackhawks before heading west to California for a week to San Jose, Anaheim and Los Angeles.
