The Nashville Predators came back to earn a point, but they ultimately fell to the Boston Bruins by a 3-2 final in overtime on Tuesday night at TD Garden. The result gives the Preds a loss to start a three-game trip and leaves them two points out of a Wild Card spot.
Roman Josi and Nick Blankenburg tallied for the Predators on the night, and while there are no consolation prizes, a point in the standings to start an important week is better than none.
“It’s nice to come back after being down 2-0, but I think we didn't quite get to our game the first two periods,” Josi said. “That third period, we had a good push and played pretty well. Wish we got two [points].”
“It was a gutsy third period, but obviously a little inconsistent in the first two periods, I thought in stretches,” Preds Head Coach Andrew Brunette said. “Didn't really love our early part of the game. I thought we kind of got going in the first, second was kind of a back and forth, and I thought in third, we really got to our game. We started playing the way to our identity. I think if we would’ve kept going in regulation, we probably would have pulled this one out. Unfortunately, they got the puck first, and they won in overtime.”
The Bruins had a 1-0 lead after 20 minutes of play, and they scored again in the second stanza. However, before the period was out, Ryan O’Reilly found Josi across the ice, and the captain one-timed a shot past Bruins goaltender Jeremy Swayman for a massive power-play goal before the intermission.
In the third, it was Blankenburg whose snap shot found its way into the twine, and the Preds continued to push for the lead, but instead it was David Pastrnak who ended the game early in overtime to give Boston the extra point.
“I think we just keep fighting,” Josi said of coming back. “We keep believing that we can come back, and I think we did today, too. It wasn't our best the first two periods, but we found a way to come back. It's tough in this League to come back all the time, so we’ve got to make sure we're playing with the lead a little bit more.”
From here, the Preds will travel to New Jersey to face the Devils on Thursday night, and while the result didn’t go Nashville’s way to start the trip, the message remains the same.
“Just play aggressive, play our style, and like I said, focus on the start,” Josi said. “I think it's always easier in this League to play with the lead. So, focus on that, and we'll be fine.”
“We want to win the week,” Brunette said. “It would have been nice to get two, we got one. Anytime you get one on the road, when you're down late, you take it and you move on knowing we could be a little bit better through 60 here going into Jersey.”
Notes:
Preds forward Fedor Svechkov left the game after a hit in the opening period and did not return due to an upper-body injury.
Prior to Tuesday’s game, Nashville recalled Andreas Englund from Milwaukee, and the defenseman made his season debut as the Predators elected to go with 11 forwards and seven defensemen. Tyson Jost and Ozzy Wiesblatt were healthy scratches against the Bruins.
With just five games to go before the Olympic break, Nashville’s trip continues on Thursday night in New Jersey before finishing on Saturday evening on Long Island.
