Filip Forsberg scored once again, but the Nashville Predators fell to the St. Louis Blues by a 4-1 final on Sunday night at Enterprise Center. The result sees the Preds split their back-to-back weekend set and drop a decision to the Blues for the second time this week.
In a physical contest that saw the clubs combine for 61 penalty minutes, the Predators certainly had their chances and didn’t give the Blues much, but St. Louis ultimately prevailed to earn their sixth-consecutive victory.
“It was a slow start, but after that, I thought we played good,” Forsberg said. “I thought the second period was really good, we kind of took it to them, we didn't really give them anything… It’s just kind of, sadly, the theme of the season that we can't get the puck to go in. Even if you get one of those two big chances there, it's a 3-2 game. You never know what's going to happen.”
“It was a fun kind of feeling, a lot of emotion,” Preds Head Coach Andrew Brunette said. “It's a fun game to be a part of. I thought our guys played really hard and didn't get rewarded again tonight. But obviously it meant a lot for them, and I thought we rose up to the challenge to match their intensity.”
As was the case last night against Toronto, the Predators found themselves down by a 2-0 count after 20 minutes of play with Jordan Kyrou and Alexandre Texier scoring for St. Louis.
But just over a minute into the second stanza, Forsberg converted on the power play for his third goal in two games to get the Preds on the board as Nashville held St. Louis to just three shots in that middle frame.
That 2-1 score held into the third period, and although the Preds surrendered just six more shots in the final 20 minutes, Justin Faulk gave the Blues some insurance before an empty-netter ended the night.
“I thought we played really good,” Forsberg said. “In the second [period], maybe we didn't get the big push until late, but we still had looks, had O-zone on time. I think it was one of those games - I said it many times, too - this year where we just got to find that goal and kind of get us close again.”
“We do so many good things and just can't find a way to score,” Brunette said. “ I think everybody's obviously been frustrated, but we're still putting an effort in. We're still creating chances. We're still getting to the net…at times, maybe a little bit perimeter, but I think with what we have right now, we're around it. Hopefully by the end of the year, some pucks go in.
Notes:
Nashville’s lineup remained unchanged from Saturday’s win with forward Jakub Vrana and defenseman Jordan Oesterle serving as healthy scratches.
The Predators will now head to Raleigh to face the Carolina Hurricanes on Tuesday night before returning home for a pair of contests later in the week.
