O'Reilly Has Hat Trick, Four Points to Lift Preds to 5-2 Victory Over Oilers

Ryan O’Reilly recorded a hat trick to lead the Nashville Predators to a 5-2 win over the Edmonton Oilers on Saturday at Rogers Place. 

O’Reilly (3g-1a) led Nashville with four points, and Kevin Lankinen stopped 33 of 35 shots faced to earn his first win in his second start of the season. With the win, Nashville moves to 5-6-0 on the season and is now 1-1-0 against Edmonton.

Edmonton lit the lamp first on the power play midway through the first period, when a point shot from Darnell Nurse went off the post, then off Lankinen and into the net. The Preds had a quick answer, however, with a wraparound goal from Filip Forsberg less than 30 seconds later that tied the score at 1-1.

O’Reilly came out flying at the start of the second period, winning a battle at the net-front and poking in the rebound on a Forsberg shot to give the Predators their first lead of the game just 23 seconds into the frame. Forsberg found O’Reilly again with a cross-crease pass just three minutes later, and O’Reilly scored on the power play to extend Nashville’s lead to 3-1.

The Oilers responded with their second power-play goal of the day – a snap from Zach Hyman – to cut the deficit to 3-2 at 5:08 of the second period.

O’Reilly completed the hat trick at 8:22 of the third period when he jammed the puck home at the side of the net. Play continued until he scored again on the same shift, before video review determined his earlier shot had gone in.

PREDS STANDOUTS

Factor Hatty: With an assist on Forsberg’s first-period tally and three goals of his own, O’Reilly put up his first four-point performance of the season; he now has nine points (6g-3a) and four power-play goals in his last eight games. O’Reilly played in his 1,000th career NHL game on Tuesday at Vancouver, becoming the fifth player to play his 1,000th career NHL game in a Predators uniform.

Wrapping Presents: Despite his wraparound beauty in the first period being just his second goal of the season, Forsberg leads the Preds with 11 points. His nine assists are also a team high, and he has eight points (2g-6a) in his last seven outings. Forsberg has averaged nearly a point per game in his career against the Oilers, tallying 23 points (12g-11a) in 24 games.

Captain Clutch: With a secondary assist on Novak’s second-period goal, Josi has points in five of his last six games (2g-4a). He has 16 assists and 20 points in 30 career meetings with the Oilers.

Tommy’s Hot: With his second-period tally, Novak now leads the Predators in goals with six. He has recorded six points (4g-2a) in his last six games.

Out for Vange-ance: With a helper on Novak’s goal in the second period, Luke Evangelista now has seven points (1g-6a) in his last seven games, including two multi-point efforts – on Oct. 21 vs. San Jose (1g-1a) and Oct. 28 vs. Toronto (2a).

Two for Carzy: Alexandre Carrier recorded his first multi-point performance of the season, logging assists on O’Reilly’s first and third goals of the game.

On the Dot: The Predators enjoyed a 66 percent success rate in the face-off circle on Saturday, compared to Edmonton’s 34 percent.

Rookie Lap: Defenseman Marc Del Gaizo made his NHL debut with the Predators on Saturday and earned his first NHL point with a secondary assist on Forsberg’s first-period goal. General Manager Barry Trotz announced on Monday that the team had recalled Del Gaizo from Milwaukee (AHL) in a corresponding move that placed forward Cody Glass (lower body) on injured reserve. Originally drafted by Nashville in the fourth round (109th overall) of the 2019 NHL Draft, Del Gaizo established career highs in several categories last season with Milwaukee, including games played (71), assists (28), points (31) and penalty minutes (50), helping the Admirals reach the AHL’s Western Conference Final. He went on to finish second on the Admirals and third among AHL defensemen in Calder Cup Playoff points with 12 (4g-8a) in 16 appearances.

THEY SAID IT

Forsberg on Nashville’s performance:

“I thought we started started pretty well. It was a little bit sloppy, maybe, in the first, but I thought we were there energy-wise and skating-wise and then we cleaned up as we went. We didn't really give them any momentum, any energy, or anything really off the rush, which is one of their strengths, obviously. I thought it was pretty solid.”

Forsberg on playing with O’Reilly:

“He's probably the smartest player that I’ve played with in this league. He just knows where to go. He's so good with the stick… He’s always around the net and he finds loose pucks, and it's pretty simple for me. I just try to get it to him.”

O’Reilly on his chemistry with linemates Forsberg and Gustav Nyquist:

“We're connected. We're doing the right things and just kind of moving our feet and the puck. I thought we did a great job of supporting each other. And I think when you do that, you get a chance. That was a massive play by Fil on that first goal. Especially when we kind of started flat tonight, he steps up and makes a big play, and that kind of sparked us and we kind of found or groove from there”

O’Reilly on what Nashville did well in the win:

“As a group, when things didn't weren't going well, we kind of stuck with it. We don't deviate and even in the last couple games, we've kind of tried to adjust when things aren't going our way and we just stuck with it tonight and everyone was a part of it. Guys made huge blocks and defended well and it was really good.”

Del Gaizo on making his NHL debut:

"Leading up to the moment, it didn’t really sink in, but during the anthem and the warm-ups and the lap, I was just thinking of my family out there and got a little bit emotional. I can't thank [my family] enough. They weren't able to make it, but they were there with me. I can't thank my mom and dad and my two brothers enough for everything."

Head Coach Andrew Brunette on his assessment of the game:

“I'm an offensive thinker, so I like when we put up five. To only let in two against that group is pretty remarkable. They’re one of the highest octane offenses in the league with the best players in hockey, and we did a good job.”

Brunette on the Forsberg - O’Reilly - Nyquist line:

“I think they're really good players, and they're developing chemistry every day. I thought today was a byproduct of the work they put in. They communicate, they work hard together. They're always working on little things to make them better and they got rewarded with it today.

Brunette on the play of Lankinen:

“He made some big saves. He just felt quiet even when chaos was going around him. I thought he did a good job of keeping with himself.”

Brunette on Del Gaizo’s NHL debut:

“I think he deserves it. I thought he had a great camp, and he's a great kid and very competitive. It was nice to see him play and nice to see him get a point. I thought he played really well.”

UP NEXT

The Predators continue their five-game road trip on Tuesday against the Calgary Flames. The puck drops at 8 p.m. CT, and the game will be broadcast on Bally Sports South, 102.5 The Game and El Jefe Radio.