The fun got started early in the second period tonight for the Nashville Predators, as Seth Jones scored his first career NHL goal with a slapper from the point on a power play. While the New York Islanders fought back to take a 2-1 lead on goals by Frans Nielsen and John Tavares, the Preds kept on coming, and goals by Patric Hornqvist & Ryan Ellis gave them a 3-2 win at Bridgestone Arena.
Perhaps most impressive was the way Nashville kept the Islanders down for most of the game, outshooting New York 31-16. From here, the Preds look forward to hosting the Florida Panthers on Tuesday, and the chance to get back to .500 on the young season.
Random Observations
- Love ya Peks, but that Tavares goal was 100% on you, for cheating off the post and leaving room for Tavares to bank it off you
- There was an outstanding defensive play by Jones on Micheal Grabner late in the 3rd, this was a much better night for him than Thursday, that’s for sure.
- After the talk about long-distance shots against Toronto on Thursday, tonight that proved to be the winning formula – and that’s OK.
- Matt Cullen finally looked dangerous out there in the offensive end.
- Have I mentioned how much I love love love Patrc Hornqvist’s play this season? He has long been one of the Predators’ most consistently tenacious players, but he’s more visible than ever these days. I’m especially encouraged to see how he’s shooting from all over the place, not just playing the role of crease-crasher.
Boxscore – Game Summary – Event Summary – Fancy Stats
Roll the video highlights…
Nashville Predators Advanced Stats
| Player | Pos | ES TOI | Total Shots For | Total Shots Against | Corsi | Net Zone Starts | Adjusted Corsi |
| Mike Fisher | C | 15:19 | 13 | 17 | -4 | -1 | -4 |
| Colin Wilson | C | 15:02 | 16 | 12 | +4 | -1 | +4 |
| David Legwand | C | 13:53 | 9 | 6 | +3 | -5 | +5 |
| Patric Hornqvist | R | 13:07 | 15 | 13 | +2 | -1 | +2 |
| Matt Hendricks | C | 12:55 | 16 | 6 | +10 | -1 | +10 |
| Matt Cullen | C | 12:29 | 17 | 5 | +12 | +2 | +11 |
| Gabriel Bourque | L | 12:26 | 15 | 6 | +9 | +3 | +8 |
| Craig Smith | C | 12:21 | 15 | 7 | +8 | +3 | +7 |
| Paul Gaustad | C | 12:11 | 16 | 6 | +10 | -3 | +11 |
| Eric Nystrom | L | 12:09 | 16 | 10 | +6 | -2 | +7 |
| Viktor Stalberg | L | 11:35 | 6 | 5 | +1 | -4 | +3 |
| Filip Forsberg | C | 10:09 | 5 | 6 | -1 | -2 | -0 |
| Kevin Klein | D | 19:32 | 16 | 13 | +3 | -4 | +5 |
| Mattias Ekholm | D | 18:46 | 17 | 9 | +8 | -4 | +10 |
| Seth Jones | D | 17:05 | 18 | 14 | +4 | 0 | +4 |
| Shea Weber | D | 16:34 | 18 | 18 | 0 | -1 | +0 |
| Victor Bartley | D | 15:44 | 19 | 6 | +13 | 0 | +13 |
| Ryan Ellis | D | 14:43 | 18 | 6 | +12 | +1 | +12 |
New York Islanders Advanced Stats
| Player | Pos | ES TOI | Total Shots For | Total Shots Against | Corsi | Net Zone Starts | Adjusted Corsi |
| Kyle Okposo | R | 16:48 | 14 | 18 | -4 | +6 | -6 |
| John Tavares | C | 16:40 | 16 | 13 | +3 | +2 | +2 |
| Matt Moulson | L | 16:11 | 12 | 19 | -7 | +5 | -9 |
| Michael Grabner | R | 14:35 | 14 | 11 | +3 | 0 | +3 |
| Josh Bailey | C | 14:16 | 12 | 10 | +2 | +2 | +1 |
| Frans Nielsen | C | 12:46 | 10 | 12 | -2 | +4 | -4 |
| Casey Cizikas | C | 11:56 | 5 | 18 | -13 | -2 | -12 |
| Colin Mcdonald | R | 11:30 | 9 | 16 | -7 | -2 | -6 |
| Matt Martin | L | 10:45 | 5 | 15 | -10 | -1 | -10 |
| Peter Regin | C | 10:07 | 2 | 10 | -8 | 0 | -8 |
| Cal Clutterbuck | R | 9:27 | 2 | 9 | -7 | 0 | -7 |
| Brock Nelson | C | 9:25 | 2 | 8 | -6 | 0 | -6 |
| Andrew Macdonald | D | 22:07 | 9 | 28 | -19 | +1 | -19 |
| Travis Hamonic | D | 21:31 | 11 | 28 | -17 | +1 | -17 |
| Thomas Hickey | D | 18:11 | 14 | 15 | -1 | +1 | -1 |
| Lubomir Visnovsky | D | 16:57 | 15 | 15 | 0 | +1 | -0 |
| Brian Strait | D | 12:19 | 10 | 10 | 0 | +1 | -0 |
| Matt Carkner | D | 11:33 | 7 | 10 | -3 | +2 | -4 |
Who is your Predator of the Game?
| Ryan Ellis | 37 |
| Patric Hornqvist | 49 |
| Seth Jones | 118 |