Matt Duchene and Filip Forsberg scored off turnovers in the third period for the host Nashville Predators, who overcame a trio of one-goal deficits to beat the New Jersey Devils, 6-4, on Thursday night.
Duchene scored after a pass by Devils defenseman Nikita Okhotiuk intended for Yegor Sharangovich sailed beyond the center and was picked up by Roman Josi, who dished to Duchene. The center was turned back by New Jersey goalie Mackenzie Blackwood but put home the rebound with 11:11 left.
Duchene helped set up the game-winner by stealing the puck from Ryan Graves and passing to Forsberg, who fired over Blackwood’s glove on a semi-breakaway with 3:55 remaining.
Blackwood was pulled for an extra attacker just 31 seconds later and Dawson Mercer put back the rebound of a shot by Ondrej Palat with 2:14 left, but Tanner Jeannot iced the victory by scoring an empty-netter with eight seconds remaining.
Cody Glass and Cole Smith scored in the first and Mikael Granlund scored in the second for the Predators, who have won five of six. Goalie Juuse Saros made 36 saves.
Jesper Bratt and Sharangovich scored in the first before Jack Hughes scored his 31st of the season in the second for the Devils, who had their eight-game point streak (7-0-1) snapped. Blackwood recorded 35 saves.
The teams combined for four goals in a six-minute span beyond the midway point of the first. Bratt beat Saros with a shot that glanced off his pads with 9:41 left before Glass tucked home a second-chance rebound just over two minutes later.
Hughes weaved through four Predators players before backhanding a pass to Sharangovich, who fired a shot over Saros’ stick shoulder with 4:03 remaining. Nashville tied the score just 23 seconds later, when Juuso Parssinen’s shot glanced off the stick of Smith and fluttered over the glove of Blackwood.
Hughes put a loose puck in the crease beyond Saros’ stick 4:06 into the second. Granlund tied the score again with 8:27 left, when Ryan Johansen’s shot into the crease bounced around and off the skate of Granlund before he shoved it across the goal line.
–Field Level Media