After a loss in Vancouver, the Predators looked to rebound in Seattle.
Nashville got off to a brisk start and drew an early penalty. The Preds got traffic in front of the net, in the course of which Gustav Nyquist took a stick to the mouth that drew blood, giving the Preds a 31-second 5-on-3 and the chance for another long stretch with the skater advantage after that. However, Colton Sissons was called for tripping and joined the Kraken’s Adam Larsson on the sidelines, giving a full two-minute stretch of 4-on-4 in the middle of what would have been a long power play for the Preds.
Astonishingly, with two seconds left on the Larsson double-minor, Tommy Novak finished off a beautiful passing play started by Luke Evangelista to put the Preds on the board. Seattle finally got some pushback with the teams back at five a side, and Dante Fabbro limped off after blocking a shot from former Predator Eeli Tolvanen.
He was back for the next shift, though, and took an interference penalty a little over halfway through the first. The Preds killed that one off, and Fabbro promptly took another penalty–this time slashing–in the offensive zone against the same Kraken player, Matty Beniers. This time, Oliver Björkstrand tied the game with a shot that went post and in, past an accidental screen from Roman Josi.
A Preds turnover in the offensive zone then allowed the Kraken to make an end-to-end play that deceived Juuse Saros and gave Seattle its first lead, off a goal from Jared McCann. The first period came to an end with the Preds trailing 1-2.
Nashville came out strong to start the second, piling the shots on and getting a lot of good looks at Philipp Grubauer. As the period went on, however, the Kraken started to push back, and the Preds were lucky when Filip Forsberg drew a holding penalty. He was active on the power play as well, helping with the lively passing the Preds had going, and Josi finally converted with a nice shot past Grubauer to tie the game 2-2.
Unfortunately, the Kraken immediately got it back, as Brian Dumoulin shot through a screen to restore the Kraken’s lead.
A bizarre play shortly followed, as Grubauer stuck his leg way out to trip Liam Foudy and injured himself on the penalty, which also sent Foudy flying into the boards. Grubauer went to the bench in what looked like a lot of discomfort, but returned to the net and made a great save to start the penalty kill off. The Preds were unable to convert, and the period ended with the Kraken holding their new lead.
The third period started with some back-and-forth play. Ryan McDonagh had to make a dramatic block to break up a two-on-one, but he managed it; Saros was called on to make several saves. Halfway through the period, however, he didn’t make another: Vince Dunn scored off a faceoff to extend the Kraken’s lead to two.
Not long after that, McDonagh took a penalty. Although Colton Sissons had a shorthanded chance, the Kraken had some good ones of their own, including a huge last-second chance by Yanni Gourde that Saros had to be sharp for. Still, the clock kept ticking, the Kraken maintained a hold on play, and the Preds struggled to find another goal.
A scuffle broke out with just over four minutes to go, as Tyson Barrie was sent to the box on a questionable tripping call. Cole Smith objected physically, and Josi had some words for the ref, but Barrie sat alone in the box, and Seattle went back to the power play. A missed call against Gourde for shooting Grubauer’s stick back to him kept the Kraken’s power play from being truncated; Andrew Brunette and the rest of the Preds’ coaching staff got an explanation, but we didn’t hear what it was, or whether it was anything more complicated than “we missed seeing it, sorry.”
With 1:29 remaining, Nashville pulled Saros to try for two goals. Josi broke up an empty-net attempt from Alex Wennberg, but the Preds were unable to manage the requisite offense, Grubauer made the stops–including a few good ones on Juuso Pärssinen–, and the game ended with a disappointing fizzle.