The Nashville Predators were back in action tonight against the league-best Boston Bruins tonight.
Nashville didn’t get off to the start they wanted, even before Jeremy Lauzon got caught pinching a little too far. Brad Marchand and Patrice Bergeron quickly took advantage as the Bruins recovered the puck, racing back down ice before Marchand effortlessly got the puck past Saros to put the Bruins up 1-0 at 2:54.
The Preds got a power play shortly after, as Trent Frederic was called for holding, but the Bruins’ penalty kill was excellent. The second penalty, four and a half minutes later, was also against the Bruins, a holding-the-stick call on Taylor Hall; just like the first time, Boston killed it easily, getting a good shorthanded chance in, and returned to even strength without causing problems for themselves.
An early whistle bailed the Preds out with just under five minutes remaining in the first, helping Saros hold the deficit to one. The Preds would get no further help, as Roman Josi was called for a borderline high-sticking penalty and the Bruins’ power play got to work in the dying minutes of the period. A strong push by Boston at the start of the power play eventually fizzled out, and the Preds and Saros were able to escape to intermission still only trailing by one.
However, that didn’t last long. Marchand helped screen a Craig Smith shot near the start of the period, the puck went in off of Lauzon, and the Bruins were up by two. Josi took his second penalty of the game a few minutes later. On the power play, Bergeron collected a great pass from Hampus Lindholm and waltzed past the Preds’ defense to make it 3-0 with more than half the period, and the game, still to go.
Derek Forbort added to the Bruins’ lead at 11:15 of the second, scoring his fifth goal of the season against a badly discombobulated Preds team. Boston got yet another chance to extend their lead when Ryan McDonagh took a penalty. The Preds were able to kill that one off, but with under a minute remaining in the period Dante Fabbro joined the parade to the penalty box.
The Preds killed off the first half of the penalty, though a catfish landed on the ice with ten seconds remaining in the period and during play. Bad time to throw it, but nice to see that the arena wasn’t entirely full of Bruins fans, much as it’s sounded like it.
The third period was more of the same, with the Preds unable to get anything going offensively even once the Bruins began to ease up a little on their own offense. That didn’t do the Preds much good either, as Trent Frederic scored on the rush, off some great passing, to make it 5-0. Tanner Jeannot received a game misconduct on the play.
Boston didn’t run up the score any further in the final six minutes and change, and the game finally, mercifully came to an end.