Nashville center Ryan Johansen
Filip Forsberg tied it late, and Ryan Johansen took his time to win it.
Juuse Saros stopped three of the four shots he saw in the shootout, before Johansen ended it and the Nashville Predators defeated the Minnesota Wild, 3-2, on Sunday night at Xcel Energy Center. The result snaps a two-game skid for the Preds and gives the visitors the victory in the first half of the home-and-home set.
Minnesota, a team on the second half of a back-to-back, had a 2-1 lead over the Preds entering the third period, but Nashville outshot the home club by a 14-3 margin in the final 20 minutes, and Forsberg eventually got one to go to help the visitors prevail.
“We’ve been facing a lot of adversity lately, and there’s a lot of expectations outside our room and in our room,” Johansen said. “Tonight’s another great example of our team coming together. It’s about finding ways to win, and we’ve just got to continue to doing that. Tonight was a great result, and we’re happy.”
Nick Bonino gave the Predators a 1-0 lead when he cashed in on a feed from Wayne Simmonds in front halfway through the first period. The assist was the first point for Simmonds in three games as a member of the Preds.
Nashville had their one-goal lead until the 16:35 mark of the second stanza when Eric Fehr and Jason Zucker combined to give Minnesota a pair of tallies before the fame ended.
That 2-1 advantage held up for the Wild for most of the third, but it was Forsberg who knocked a loose rebound home with less than five to play in regulation to even the score.
After an extra session that saw both teams get their chances, Ryan Ellis and Johansen scored in the four-round shootout to give the Preds a win to conclude their two-game trip.
Johansen and his mates will now return to Nashville to host the Wild on Tuesday for the second of three meetings between the two this month.
With just 14 games remaining for the Preds in the regular season and the trade deadline passed, finding consistency is paramount for the group in the days and weeks to come. Now that they know what their roster will look like down the stretch, the Predators are anxious to come together with everyone contributing.
And, most importantly at this time of the year, two points in the standings are better than one, no matter how they come.
“All I can say is Nashville’s put their band together, and we’re ready to play,” Johansen said.
Notes:
Forward Craig Smith returned to the Nashville lineup after missing six games with a lower-body injury. Smith started the game on a line with Kyle Turris and Mikael Granlund.
Forward Brian Boyle missed Sunday’s game due to a lower-body injury.
In addition to Boyle, Cody McLeod and Matt Donovan were scratched for the Preds on Sunday.
The Predators will return to Tennessee for a two-game homestand, beginning on Tuesday when the Wild come to town (at 7 p.m. CT). The Preds will then host Carolina on Saturday before a California trip next week.
Pete Weber’s Postgame Report
