It’s been a long time coming for the Preds’ beloved goalie, but he was rewarded for his hard work with the prize donut tonight.
The Rangers opened the game strongly, but at 13:37 of the first it was Jonathan Marchessault who got the first goal, finishing off a passing play with Steven Stamkos and Filip Forsberg. It’s good to continue to see production from that line, even if it’s not to the extent we’d all initially hoped.
The second period was considerably more eventful. Gus Nyquist took an early penalty for holding Alexis Lafrenière, and Juuse Saros had to work for the score. The Rangers continued to press after their power play, putting up a steady attack. Halfway through the period, a fracas broke out, with a cross-checking penalty for Luke Evangelista and a matching roughing penalty for Lafrenière in their confrontation, and a fight between Mark Del Gaizo and Will Cuylle.
Del Gaizo also picked up an extra minor for roughing, which gave the Rangers another power play. Again Saros was heavily tested, and again he managed to hold out. This time the Rangers didn’t push on out of their power play as strongly as last time, and the Preds eventually managed to get a power play of their own, at 17:07, as Reilly Smith headed off for interfering with Forsberg.
Nashville wasn’t able to do anything at all with either that power play or the one they got with seconds left in the second period — a bench minor for too many men — but they looked better once the Rangers had returned to even strength. Adam Wilsby’s first NHL goal, twelve minutes in, extended the Preds’ lead.
With just over a minute and a half left, Rangers Head Coach Peter Laviolette pulled Igor Shesterkin for the extra attacker. Michael McCarron’s stick broke as he went for an empty-net goal with under thirty seconds remaining, and the Rangers stormed back in, but again Saros kept the door shut, and the Preds were able to hold on until the buzzer.