Preds Top 20, No. 11: Filip Forsberg Joins the 500-Point Club

The Nashville Predators 2022-23 season has officially come to an end, and what a season it has been. From momentous firsts to bittersweet farewells, this year was full of memorable moments both on and off the ice.

We've already taken a look back at the Top 10 goals scored by the Predators this season. Now, we're counting down the Top 20 moments and milestones that highlighted a special season of hockey in SMASHVILLE.

We'll take our trip down memory lane in chronological order, so we'll head back to New Year's Eve as we continue our countdown at No. 11.

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Filbuary came early this year.

With his second of three goals on Dec. 31 at Vegas, Filip Forsberg became the third player in Predators history to reach the 500-point milestone in Nashville's 5-4 overtime loss to the Golden Knights. Forsberg passed Martin Erat (481) and moved into sole possession of third place on the Predators' all-time points list on Nov. 8 at Seattle.

Forsberg found an angle to beat Logan Thompson and give the Predators a 1-0 lead at 4:45 of the first period, and Jeremy Lauzon extended Nashville's lead to 2-0 at 11:22. Keegan Kolesar got the Golden Knights on the board, deflecting a shot from Daniil Miromanov past Kevin Lankinen to cut the Predators lead in half and make the score 2-1 heading into the first intermission.

Vegas tied it up less than two minutes into the second period with a goal from Michael Amadio. Minutes later, Reilly Smith picked up the loose puck at the doorstep and fired it into the net, giving the Golden Knights a 3-2 lead.

Chandler Stephenson found the back of the net to extend Vegas' lead to 4-2 at the start of the third period, but Forsberg's third goal of the night brought the Preds within one. Forsberg then ripped the puck home on the power play with less than five seconds remaining in regulation to record the hat trick, tie the game at 4-4 and force overtime.

Ultimately, the Preds had to settle for one point as Nicolas Hague fired a one-timer into the back of the net 2:04 into the extra frame to seal the victory for Vegas.

Forsberg's hat trick was the eighth of his career - the most by a single Predators player in history - and ended up being the lone hatty for the Predators in 2022-23. It was his franchise-leading 34th three-point game, tying him with David Legwand (120) for the second-most multi-point games in Predators history.

Forsberg also made waves across the NHL in the final week of 2022, earning honors as one of the League's "Three Stars" for the week ending Jan. 1. He led the NHL in goals (5) and points (tie, 5g-2a-7pts) across three contests to power the Predators to a 1-1-1 week to close out the calendar year. He scored once in Nashville's Dec. 27 loss to Dallas before registering back-to-back three-point performances on the road. It marked the second time in Forsberg's career that he has posted three points in consecutive team games, following a three-game run from Feb. 21-25, 2017 (7g-2a-9pts).

"He has really played to the identity that gives him a chance to be really successful," Head Coach John Hynes said after Forsberg earned NHL First Star of the Week honors. "He was fast. I thought he played with a lot of speed and power. And I think when you look at the way he generated offense, it's something that we talk with him quite a bit about. He had rebound goals, net-front goals, he shot the puck in the net, and that's the style of player that gives them the best chance. He's a guy that can create offense in multiple ways. And usually when he gets up and running, you can see that the puck goes in the net in different ways, and it's nice to see."

Worth a click:

No. 20: Cody Glass Makes the Team
No. 19: Roman Josi's Homecoming
No. 18: Perfect in Prague
No. 17: Return of the Mustard Cat
No. 16: Nashville's 900th Franchise Win
No. 15: Juuso Parssinen's NHL Debut
No. 14: David Poile Reaches 1,500 Wins
No. 13: Bridgestone Arena's 'Remarkable' Reopening
No. 12: Roman Josi Becomes Nashville's All-Time Leading Scorer