Devils Come Back to Top Preds in Overtime

The New Jersey Devils scored three times in the third period and Mike Cammalleri won it in overtime, as they defeated the Nashville Predators by a 5-4 final at Bridgestone Arena on Saturday afternoon.
After Nashville entered the final period with a 4-1 lead, the Devils notched two quick goals to begin the third, and then capitalized on a power play before the end of regulation to tie the game.
"We called a timeout at the three-minute mark and for the rest of the third, I thought we dominated after that," Head Coach Peter Laviolette said. "They ended up cashing in a power-play goal with eight minutes left, and they got a tie out of it. I thought we had plenty of opportunity to win when it was 4-3, but it didn't happen. It's an ugly way to lose a game, and it's a terrible feeling for everybody involved."

It's a lesson to be learned for the Preds in what is still a relatively early portion of the season, and something they hope they won't have to repeat again.
"It's the NHL - you know there are good players on both sides, it doesn't matter the deficit," defenseman Matt Irwin said. "If you're not in it mentally, any team on any given night has a chance to get back at it."
"We are a young group for sure - hopefully guys can learn from it," defenseman Mattias Ekholm said. "It just can't happen. I don't have an answer to why it happened, and it just can't happen."
Kevin Fiala delivered two of the Nashville goals on the afternoon, with P.K. Subban and Roman Josi chipping in the others. Fiala, who recorded his second multi-goal game of the season, was a bright spot for Nashville, earning praise for his efforts.

"I thought tonight was his best game in a Predators uniform," Laviolette said on Fiala. "I thought he worked extremely hard. He brought the puck to the net and was confident in what he was doing; it was a real positive for him and his line. I thought they did a lot of good things offensively out there, but Kevin sure did have a good game with a lot of great things offensively."
Perhaps the best part about the loss is that the Preds don't have to wait long for a chance to wipe it from their memories - they'll host the Philadelphia Flyers on Sunday evening at 5 p.m. CT.
"It's a lesson learned and the good thing about it is we're right back at it again tomorrow night," Irwin said. "I think that's the positive here, we can put this behind us and learn from it and move onto Philly tomorrow."
"I think that helps a lot; tomorrow we would just be thinking about the game and the point that we lost," Ekholm said. "But it would be nice to come back tomorrow and catch two points in front of our fans."
Notes:
With two assists on Saturday, Mike Ribeiro now has eight points (2g-6a) and two multi-point games in his last eight contests.
Preds forward Mike Liambas made his NHL debut on Saturday afternoon, skating 4:42 and registering one hit.
The Preds are right back at it on Sunday evening when they host the Philadelphia Flyers at Bridgestone Arena for a 5 p.m. CT start.