St. Louis struck early and often and the Nashville Predators fell to the Blues Friday night at Enterprise Center, 6-2.
The result snapped Nashville’s three-game win streak as the Blues took the second half of the home-and-home set between the two. The Preds were three-for-three in their last trio at home, including a 4-1 win over the Blues on Wednesday, but Nashville is now 0-3-1 in their last four on the road.
“There were things we did wrong from the start right to the end,” Preds Head Coach Peter Laviolette said. “We made too many mistakes. That’s why we lost the game.”
“We didn’t play well defensively at all,” Preds Captain Roman Josi said. “They had a lot of chances, and the chances they had were really good chances right in front of the net. We have to play a lot better for [goaltender Juuse Saros] in net there.”
After a 4-1 Predators’ win on Wednesday that included plenty of feistiness, it took Austin Watson and Patrick Maroon all of two seconds into Friday’s game to drop the gloves. Ryan Hartman and Brayden Schenn did so as well just over a minute later, and as the physical start continued, it was the Blues who went up 2-0 midway through the first.
Nick Bonino got the Preds on the board with a power-play goal to cut the lead in half, but Schenn gave the Blues a two-goal lead once more before the period was out.
St. Louis added their fourth and fifth goals in the second period, with Laviolette electing to pull Saros for Pekka Rinne after the fifth strike. Both teams traded goals in the third period with Ryan Hartman getting his sixth of the season late in the game.
From here, the Preds return home to face the Ducks on Sunday as Nashville will look to erase this effort in St. Louis.
“You have to make sure you correct some things, but after that, you have to focus on the next game,” Josi said. “It’s such a long season, and you’re going to have games that you don’t like your effort. We certainly didn’t like our effort tonight and we have to look at it, but then focus on Sunday.”
Notes:
Preds center Kyle Turris left the game in the first period after taking a hit into the end boards and did not return.
The win was the first behind the Blues’ bench for interim head coach Craig Berube. His first game in charge was on Wednesday in Music City.
Until tonight’s loss, Nashville had won seven of its last eight games against St. Louis – including five in a row with four goals in five of those win.
The Predators now return back to Nashville to begin a five-game homestand, starting on Sunday evening when the Anaheim Ducks come to town.
