The Preds returned from the All-Star break and ensuing bye week tonight, facing a Coyotes team that had narrowly lost their own first game back.
Nashville got off to a slow start, not pushing too hard offensively but by and large doing a decent job at limiting what the Coyotes could generate offensively as well. As the period continued, they started to look a little better-coordinated, but still struggled to get going. Matt Dumba did not make himself friends with a pair of big open-ice hits on Tommy Novak and Yakov Trenin, and the Preds had to weather a long shift in the defensive zone, but they came out the other side.
Ryan O’Reilly got the Preds on the board at 12:28 of the first, with a shot that went off the post and Connor Ingram before going into the net, but Travis Dermott got it back for Arizona less than a minute later. The game opened up more after that, but as the Preds were starting to find their groove, Roman Josi was called for high-sticking.
The Preds killed that penalty off with enthusiasm, getting three separate shorthanded rushes in sequence but not managing the shorthanded goal, and Cole Smith promptly drew a holding-the-stick penalty from Dermott once Josi was released from the box. While the Preds’ power play looked good, and generated some significant pressure and a great trick shot by O’Reilly, they were unable to get anything past Ingram.
Smith drew another penalty early in the second, again with no score. Then an absolute parade to the penalty box began. Jack McBain took a hooking penalty at 7:48, then twenty seconds into the Preds’ power play so did Filip Forsberg. Just after McBain got out of the sin bin and just before Forsberg did, the Coyotes were whistled for too many men on the ice, but fifty seconds later the teams were back to four-on-four as Cody Glass tripped McBain.
Just fifteen seconds after that, Barrett Hayton high-sticked Jeremy Lauzon. Josi scored during the ensuing four-on-three, and slowly the teams returned to full strength from there. Arizona pushed back, undoing the Preds’ gains, and late in the period Dylan Gunther drew an interference penalty from Lauzon, then scored with a perfectly-placed shot on the ensuing power play to make it 2-2 at 18:31.
The Preds had a late scramble, and Ingram got an early whistle–to the frustration of the fans in the arena–and the score remained tied heading into second intermission.
The Coyotes got out to an early lead in the third, as a Juuso Valimaki shot pinballed off of two Preds and in past Juuse Saros, and Ingram had the save on the Preds’ quick counter.
Smith took an interference penalty not long after, forcing the Preds back to the penalty kill at 4:00 even. Nick Schmaltz scored right off the faceoff to make it 4-2. However, Nick Bjugstad hooked Josi just twelve seconds after Schmaltz’s goal, and Tommy Novak got one back on the power play for Nashville. 4-3, at 6:00 of the third.
The Preds, invigorated, continued to push back, and Forsberg finally capped off a determined shift by tying the game 4-4 at 9:59. O’Reilly, who’s joined him in having a great game, set him up for the goal and collected the primary assist. Nashville continued to press, but despite some great chances were unable to score again before the end of regulation.
Arizona got the first possession of the extra frame, but the Preds recovered. Josi hit a post, but the Preds were able to keep possession. The game-winner came as Novak made a great pass to Ryan McDonagh and McDonagh got the puck past Ingram.