Saros makes 35 saves, Predators defeat Blues

ST. LOUIS -- Juuse Saros made 35 saves for the Nashville Predators in a 5-2 win against the St. Louis Blues at Enterprise Center on Saturday.

Saros was coming off a performance on Thursday in which he allowed four goals on 18 shots before being pulled following the first period in a 9-2 loss to the Dallas Stars.

"He was unbelievable. And he was really good Thursday," Predators coach Andrew Brunette said. "It could have been way uglier in that first period. He’s been really dialed in. We haven’t been giving him the help in front of him."

Ryan O'Reilly and Filip Forsberg each had a goal and an assist for Nashville (28-25-2), which had lost two straight and won for just the second time in seven games (2-4-1).

"This feels good," Brunette said. "We put in a complete 60-minute effort. We haven’t done that for a while. We’ve kind of lost that a little bit since the (All-Star) break. Tonight, this was what we want to look like. We can build on this. It’s one game."

Jordan Kyrou and Nathan Walker scored, and Jordan Binnington made 28 saves for the Blues (29-23-2), who are 8-3-0 in their past 11.

"We knew they were obviously coming off a tough game," St. Louis defenseman Torey Krug said. "Probably a message sent by their organization. They came in here and did a good job. That being said, we lacked support all over the ice. Whether it was in the D-zone breaking the puck out, or in the offensive zone, we weren't connected. Big games like that, you just can't do it."

Colton Sissons gave Nashville a 1-0 lead at 4:11 of the first period, scoring with a wrist shot from the slot after a giveaway by St. Louis forward Pavel Buchnevich.

"First goal, we turned it over," Blues coach Drew Bannister said. "There was no reason to turn the puck over in that area of the ice."

Kyrou tied it 1-1 at 19:05 when he one-timed a cross-ice pass from Robert Thomas during a 5-on-3 power play. It was Kyrou’s fifth goal in his past five games.

Luke Evangelista gave the Predators a 2-1 lead at 13:09 of the second period, scoring on a breakaway after Blues defenseman Marco Scandella whiffed on the puck at the offensive blue line.

"We made a bad play on the second one, but got a bad bounce, too," Bannister said. "But I thought we forced a play into a position where we put our 'D' in a tough position, and the puck bounces over his stick and it's a breakaway."

Saros stopped a penalty shot from St. Louis forward Jake Neighbours at 19:00.

"For us, that was the momentum swing in the game," Brunette said. "It was the save we needed, and he came through."

Forsberg pushed it to 3-1 at 6:48 of the third period with a wrist shot on the power play, and Luke Schenn scored his first goal with the Predators from the right point to make it 4-1 at 7:51.

"It’s great to score the goal, but obviously, in the bigger picture, it’s great to contribute to a win," Schenn said. "That’s what I’m most excited about. But I was thinking about it a little bit, trying to get that first one out of the way. I’ve had some opportunities. It’s nice to finally see one and catch a break."

Walker cut it to 4-2 at 12:52 when the puck caromed in off him following Kevin Hayes's shot from a sharp angle.

O'Reilly scored into an empty net at 18:28 for the 5-2 final.

"This win says a lot about our club," Forsberg said. "We’ve been put in this situation a few times this year. We’ve answered the bell for the most part. We don’t want to repeat that result or that effort. Tonight was a lot better."

NOTES: Nashville allowed fewer than four goals for the first time in seven games. ... Schenn, a defenseman, faced his younger brother, Blues forward Brayden Schenn, for the 16th time in the NHL, winning the head-to-head matchup for just the fourth time. ... Thomas has 17 points (three goals, 14 assists) in his past 11 games. ... Krug has eight points (one goal, seven assists) in his past four games.