A perfectly placed shot from the blueliner at the left circle beat goaltender Semyon Varlamov with just four seconds ticking off the clock in the time it took the puck to leave the linesman's hand until it was in the back of the net.
"The face-off play was a little bit broken, but I think still to be able to pull it together not having the original centerman in there, Nealer having to go unconventional on the pass from what he normally might do, and I think Matty just making a nice shot on the play, it worked well," Laviolette said.
And to see Irwin, who didn't even start the season with the team out of training camp, rewarded for his determination to contribute is just as gratifying as the play itself.
"I remember when we left training camp with Matt coming in here, and maybe he wasn't sure of the system or his new team or whatever, and he mentioned that he knows he can play better," Laviolette said. "He went down [to Milwaukee] and he was the best player down there, came back up here and got an opportunity. He's looking really good, so it was clear to see what type of player he is, and how he's been able to help our team."
As the final 40 minutes played out, Johansen, Roman Josi and Smith (again) padded the lead and guaranteed a victory and giving the Predators a chance to finish their road trip with a .500 mark.
But Forsberg's skate, Neal's stick and Irwin's shot combined for a surge of momentum at the time, helping lead the Preds to their Rocky Mountain high.
"That was a huge goal," Johansen said. "We feel like we've been snake bitten a bit with bounces and luck and things like that, and to see them start going in it was nice."
Notes:
Preds Captain Mike Fisher, who left Tuesday's game against Colorado with an upper-body injury, did not practice on Wednesday and is considered day-to-day. Center Mike Ribeiro did not practice and was given a maintenance day.