The Preds were back in action tonight in Dallas, facing a win-hungry Stars team just ahead of them in the Central standings.
The game opened with some early back and forth. A couple of in-close saves by Kevin Lankinen set the Preds up to break out of their own zone and Gustav Nyquist to score the first goal of the game at 11:26. Seconds later, the Preds got a power-play opportunity as Esa Lindell committed interference, but the Stars were able to kill it off.
Lindell got a breakaway chance not long after being released from the box, but Lankinen was again up to the task. The game opened up as the period went on, with Stars goalie Scott Wedgewood forced to make some great saves against good plays by the Preds’ top line and the teams trading chances at each end. With just 58 seconds left in the period, Alex Carrier tripped Jason Robertson–interestingly, after an unnoticed offside by Roope Hintz.
A shorthanded chance by Colton Sissons was interrupted by the buzzer. The second period started with the Stars displeased about something Jeremy Lauzon did at the faceoff, but it didn’t slow their power play down; Lankinen had to make an absolutely massive series of saves as the time ran out, and somehow managed to keep the puck out of the net.
Mason Marchment got a penalty-shot opportunity when Luke Schenn hauled him down in front of the net, but Lankinen managed to catch the puck. Sam Steel seemed to adeptly got a puck past him, but the Preds’ review team was on it, and it was quickly overturned for an offside play. Instead, Luke Evangelista gave the Preds their second goal by capitalizing off a turnover at 7:20.
However, Tyler Seguin scored for real not long after, taking advantage of a lapse in defensive coverage and a lot of open ice, getting the Stars on the board at 9:29 of the second. Dallas, invigorated, pushed hard, setting up camp in the Preds’ zone and peppering Lankinen with shots. Juuso Pärssinen took another late penalty, interfering with Jamie Benn, and Benn scored off the faceoff on the power play to tie the game at 2 with under a minute left in the second period.
The Stars iced the puck early in the third and the Preds were able to take advantage of their fatigue, as Filip Forsberg put the Preds up 3-2 at 2:42. The Stars didn’t give up much ground after that, but Forsberg still managed to score again about five minutes later on a wraparound. The insurance was needed, as Jason Robertson made it 4-3 at 10:21.
Nashville got some pressure of their own in response, but didn’t manage to score again. Eventually the Stars pulled Wedgewood for the extra attacker, setting up a nervewracking few minutes for people who remembered how these two teams’ last meeting went. This time, however, the Preds held on for the win.