Just like Thursday in Phoenix, the Nashville Predators earned a healthy lead on the road, this time on the strength of power play goals by David Legwand and Shea Weber.
And just like Thursday in Phoenix, the Preds coughed that lead up a hairball in the third period.
Unlike Thursday, however, the Predators were able to pull out an important road win, thanks to David Legwand’s second goal of the game, which came with 3:56 remaining.
Leggy ended up with two goals, while Patric Hornqvist chipped in with 3 assists on the evening. Carter Hutton made 35 saves to earn the victory, which lifts the team’s record to 7-5-2 as they head to Colorado for a game on Wednesday.
Random Observations
- Good job by Rich Clune to go after Dan Carcillo after Carcillo took a bit of a run at Roman Josi. That’s the kind of hockey fight that belongs in the game, unlike Ray Emery’s psycopathic display against Washington the other night.
- The pass by Patric Hornqvist to Shea Weber on that late 1st period goal was a thing of beauty, he draws all the attention when the puck comes to him near the net, and he fed it into a wide-open space for the captain to bury it.
- The Predators appear to have an endemic problem with defending puck battles around the crease. After Weber & Klein, there’s not a lot of muscle there to move opposing forwards out of harm’s way.
- The Kings seemed very intent on carrying the physical play to Roman Josi, who puts himself in vulnerable positions all too often.
- Eric Nystrom was all over the place early on, making big plays in all areas of the ice.
- Thank goodness for those power play goals, because the Preds were out-shot 35-15 at even strength.
- Stay tuned for further word on Mike Fisher, who left tonight’s game with a lower-body injury.
Boxscore – Game Summary – Event Summary – Fancy Stats
Roll the video highlights…
More from On the Forecheck:
- Saturday’s Dump & Chase: Brought to You by Carter Hutton’s Confidence
- TSN Report: NHLPA Gearing Up For Lawsuit over Tennesee’s Privilege Tax
- Analysis: “Predators Hockey” Yields a 19 Goal Pace for 2nd Leading Scorer
- Nashville Predators 4, Phoenix Coyotes, 5: Howl-oween Thriller
- Nashville Predators News: Matt Hendricks Leaves Phoenix Game With Upper Body Injury/
Who was your Predator of the Game?
| Patric Hornqvist | 34 |
| David Legwand | 126 |
| Eric Nystrom | 9 |