Jets Come Back to Top Preds

Mikael Granlund recorded an assist in his Nashville debut and P.K. Subban scored on the power play, but the Winnipeg Jets completed the comeback to defeat the Predators by a 5-3 final on Friday night at Bell MTS Place. It's Nashville's second-straight loss overall and their second defeat to the Jets on the season.
The Predators had a 2-0 lead in the second period, but the Jets tied the game before the third, and then took the lead in a battle between the top two teams in the Central Division.
"They were better in the small areas," Preds defenseman P.K. Subban said. "We had our chances…but it just didn't feel that we really got enough going. We generated some opportunities, but we have to keep the game simple. Nothing's free and you have to earn everything. It's a tough game, and we're going to have to learn from this and get a whole lot better."

The Predators have struggled to score in the first period as of late, but it was Viktor Arvidsson who found twine at 15:21 of the opening frame to give his club a 1-0 advantage. Winnipeg thought they had tied the game moments later, but the Predators won yet another offside challenge and the call was overturned.

Nashville's first power-play opportunity of the evening came in the second stanza, and although the first chance didn't produce a tally, a unit with Granlund and Wayne Simmonds produced a number of quality looks. The second man advantage of the night for the Preds cashed in, however, with a Subban blast from the point and a Brian Boyle screen in front.

Before the second act was completed, the Jets evened the score with goals from Mark Scheifele and Kyle Connor to see the two clubs enter the third period tied at two apiece.
With less than six minutes to play in regulation, Blake Wheeler gave the Jets their first lead of the night, and after Winnipeg got their first empty-netter, Mattias Ekholm gave the Preds life again when he potted his eighth of the season. It wasn't meant to be as the Jets put one more into the empty cage before the night was done.

In addition to his assist on Ekholm's goal, Granlund finished with three shots and two hits in 18:28 of ice time in his first game as a member of the Predators.
The Predators will complete their two-game trip on Sunday night in Minnesota when they face Kevin Fiala, Anthony Bitetto and the Wild.
"It's the little things that are costing us right now, and the upside of this is we can clean those things up," Subban said. "We're going to have to play our best game of the season [on Sunday], and why not start there? Then we go home and get some rest and we continue on."