Ingram Earns First NHL Win as Preds Find Victory in Minnesota

Ryan Johansen tallied twice, Connor Ingram earned his first NHL victory and the Nashville Predators defeated the Minnesota Wild by a 5-2 final on Sunday evening at the Xcel Energy Center. The result gives the Preds their second win of the season, a satisfying outcome to finish the second half of a back-to-back set on Nashville's first road trip of the campaign.
Josi finished the night with three helpers as well for a four-point output, and two of Nashville's five goals came with the man advantage. Additionally, Ingram made 33 saves, earning the win in his NHL debut, the first Nashville goaltender to do so since Pekka Rinne in 2005.

Just as they did Saturday night in Winnipeg, the Predators got the game's first goal, and it was Josi who put home a shot in the slot on the power play just 3:45 into the contest. Johansen got a power-play marker of his own just over two minutes later when he deposited a loose puck in front, and before the opening frame was out, Johansen beat Minnesota goaltender Kaapo Kahkonen for the second time and a 3-0 advantage after one period of play.

After Minnesota got on the board midway through the second stanza to cut Nashville's lead to just two, the Preds responded as Filip Forsberg tipped a Josi blast into the twine. Then, Tanner Jeannot scored arguably the prettiest goal of the night when he batted the puck out of mid-air right in front of the cage for Nashville's fifth and final strike.
The Wild got their second of the game just before the middle period concluded, but Ingram and the Preds held on to their three-goal lead through three penalty kills and an empty Minnesota net to collect their first road win of the young season.
Forward Matt Duchene finished with three assists in the win, and Forsberg also added a helper for a two-point outing.

Sunday Storyline:

No Sunday scaries here.
After falling to the Jets in Winnipeg on Saturday night, the Predators came into Minnesota to face an undefeated Wild team less than 24 hours later - and the visitors put forth their best effort of the campaign.
Nashville scored a season-high five goals, and Ingram looked more like a savvy veteran as opposed to a netminder making his NHL debut to help lead the Preds to a gutsy road win to finish off the weekend.

"It feels really good," Josi said of the win. "Especially after last night where it obviously didn't go our way, coming back here, playing a team like Minnesota who was 4-0, a really good team, it was a huge win for us tonight. I mean, I thought we didn't really play like a 1-4 team before. I thought we had some really good games, we could have won some games, too, so it's definitely nice to get rewarded and get a win."
"It was a really good night in a lot of senses," Preds Head Coach John Hynes said. "We didn't necessarily like a lot of the things that we did last night in Winnipeg, so with a short turnaround, we had a good meeting this morning, but I really gave the players a lot of credit for coming in and really making some changes briefly from last night to tonight… This was one where it was a 60-minute effort. We had it throughout the lineup, and our group played to the identity that we want to play with, really throughout the lineup, and I think that makes a big difference. Lots of other games, we've had pockets of it, and we've had lots of guys doing it, but I think tonight was really a good effort. It's nice to see Connor get his first win, his first NHL game; he looked real solid back there and made some big saves for us when we needed it."

The Predators started well, and they kept that momentum throughout the opening period. And even when Minnesota got some life, Nashville squashed it quickly, thanks in large part to the play of their goaltender.
"He was awesome," Josi said of Ingram. "He was so calm in that first game, and it's a big deal. I was really nervous when I played my first game, and he looked so calm. There's so much confidence in him and within our team. It was an awesome game from him, and we're definitely really proud of him."
"I still don't think it's hit me," Ingram said. "Ignorance is bliss almost at this point, where you don't really realize what's going on yet. But, I feel good. You jump out to an early lead like that, and it's a lot easier to play goaltender. It was lots of fun."
As Josi referenced, the Predators didn't feel their 1-4-0 record entering Sunday's game was necessarily indicative of the way they had played through their first five contests. Against Minnesota, Nashville showed what they're capable of with a complete effort, and of all the good that came Sunday evening in St. Paul, that was the most important item of all.

"We've talked to the group that you're going to go through an 82-game season, and there's times where you're playing pretty well and you have substance in your game, but maybe you're not finding ways to win or goals aren't going in," Hynes said. "If you stay with it, which our guys did, you're eventually going to get rewarded. There was real, true, honest belief and assessment in our game within our locker room on what we need to do, and I think tonight we put together that type of an effort… Guys have been resilient and stayed with it, but I also think that's just the honest, true assessment in our locker room of where our game was at. That's why it's nice to see the guys get rewarded for it."

Highlight of the Night:

They Said It:

Connor Ingram on his day leading up to his first NHL game:
"It was pretty good. I mean, I surprised myself, I had a little nap in even, so I must have not been too nervous, I guess, if that's a possibility. It was really exciting. Everybody at home was really fired up, too, so I guess the first one's over. So, we've got to keep going now."

Notes:

Preds forward Eeli Tolvanen left the game in the first period with an upper-body injury after being hit into the corner by Wild Captain Jared Spurgeon. Tolvanen did not return, and an update on his status is expected on Tuesday.
Roman Josi's four-point night is just the seventh time a Preds defenseman has earned four points in a single game in franchise history.
Defensemen Matt Benning and Mark Borowiecki re-entered the lineup on Sunday in favor of Ben Harpur and Philippe Myers. Forward Rocco Grimaldi was also scratched for the Preds on Sunday.
With the first road trip of the season now complete, the Preds will return home for a light week at Bridgestone Arena. First, they'll host the San Jose Sharks on Tuesday night for a 7:30 p.m. CT start, and then the New York Islanders come to town for a Saturday matinee at 12:30 p.m. CT.