Nino Niederreiter scored two goals to lead the Nashville Predators to a 3-2 win against the San Jose Sharks at the 2022 NHL Global Series on Saturday at Prague.
Filip Forsberg also scored, and Kevin Lankinen made 31 saves for the Predators, who beat the Sharks 4-1 in the first game of the series on Friday.
Luke Kunin and Logan Couture scored, Mario Ferraro had two assists, and Kaapo Kahkonen made 15 saves for the Sharks.
Kunin, who was traded to the Sharks from the Predators in July, gave San Jose a 1-0 lead at 14:24 of the first period.
Lankinen made a save on Ferraro’s wrist shot from the top of the left circle and another on Kunin’s rebound try, but Kunin followed up with another shot that hit the net.
The Predators came back with three goals in the second period to take the lead. Niederreiter tied it 1-1 at 4:35.
Ryan Johansen cut into the slot and tried a backhand that was saved by the left pad of Kahkonen. The rebound went to the side of Kahkonen and Niederreiter was there to push it in the net.
Couture scored 10 seconds later to move the Sharks back ahead 2-1.
The Predators won the center-ice faceoff following the goal, but Ferraro stole the puck back in the neutral zone. He dropped it for Steven Lorentz, who passed it to Couture for the one-timer from the high slot.
Forsberg tied it 2-2 at 6:29, scoring on a wrap-around after his initial shot from an angle was stopped by Kahkonen.
Niederreiter put the Predators ahead 3-2 when he scored at 12:13.
Eeli Tolvanen led a 3-on-2 break before centering to Niederreiter, who had time to gather the puck and shoot it into the far side of the net for his third goal in his first two games with Nashville.
Niederreiter signed a two-year, $8 million contract with Nashville in the offseason after spending the past 3 1/2 seasons with the Carolina Hurricanes.
–Field Level Media