In the biggest game of the season thus far, the Predators delivered the desired result.
Ryan O’Reilly scored what proved to be the game-winner as Nashville defeated the Seattle Kraken by a 3-1 final on Thursday night at Bridgestone Arena. The result sees the Preds collect their second victory over Seattle in as many weeks with a massive triumph to pull even with the Kraken at 71 points overall in the standings.
Ryan Ufko and Filip Forsberg also tallied for the Preds, and Justus Annunen - who was thrust into the starting job after Juuse Saros was unable to play due to an upper-body injury - made 25 saves in net to help his club to win No. 31 on the campaign.
“It feels great,” O’Reilly said of the win. “We know where we stand with those guys; we're tied now. We're in the fight with them. Definitely an emotional game. We needed to come out strong, have a good start, and I thought we did. [The] building was exciting. It's just a massive win for us, and we’ve got to continue. It's not getting any easier, but that's something hopefully we can build off of and get some momentum here at home. But definitely a huge win. Everyone was part of that tonight.”
“I think we understood the importance of the game, and we felt very comfortable with ‘Big Juice’ in net,” Preds Head Coach Andrew Brunette said. “I think he's played extremely well, so I don't even think it was a speed bump in our mind. I think our group was ready to go. We're excited to be back home. We're excited to be in this position where these games matter so much. We've put so much work into this. We've gone through a lot as a group, a lot of ups and downs, and to have an opportunity here at home, I don't think anything was going to deter us. Obviously, [Saros] has been outstanding, but we felt very comfortable. And like I said, it's just full steam ahead for our group.”
Ufko helped the Preds avoid a slow start in the first game back after a long road trip when he blasted home his second of the season at the 6:14 mark of the opening frame. Seattle tied the score late in the first period when former Preds forward Frederick Gaudreau beat Annunen, but in the second stanza, O’Reilly capitalized on the power play - for the 100th time in his career - to restore the Nashville lead.
Annunen then made seven stops in the final 20 minutes, and Forsberg iced things with his 30th of the season into an empty net to send the Bridgestone Arena crowd to springtime decibel levels, a taste of what the Preds hope is more to come.
“We're very appreciative of our crowd,” Brunette said. “I think they've stuck with us. It hasn't been easy to be a Predators fan, what we went through last year, and you could tell there's electricity in the building. It's back, and tons of credit for them for sticking with us. And I think they've enjoyed the pushback we had this year. Even games before the Olympic break, you can feel the building kind of starting to go like I've seen it go. And we're hoping to have more nights like this where we can continue to build that momentum and treat our fans to some big hockey games.”
With just 14 games remaining in the regular season, the Preds refuse to give in or give up. Instead, a plan that has been months in the making continues to take shape, and Thursday’s result was just another chapter in a story that isn’t done being written yet.
“As we keep going, everyone's saying it's the most important game of the year,” Ufko said. “So, we look forward to that. We’re amped up about it. The building was electric. I think that's the best type of hockey. So, we're really excited for it and looking to build off of it.”
And now, with the Golden Knights coming to town on Saturday afternoon, the Preds will have another chance to test themselves against a playoff team - and they can’t wait.
“We've been through a lot this year,” O’Reilly said. “We look at the start of the season, and being completely out of it, not sure what's going to happen and fighting back into it - then, just still sticking with it. It’s a credit to everyone here, the character of guys, still showing up not quitting. We believe we can get in the playoffs. Everyone is working and doing what they can to do that. It's a fun time to play hockey, but still a lot of work left.”
Notes:
Saros did not dress for Nashville on Thursday and is day-to-day with an upper-body injury. Goaltender Matt Murray was recalled from Milwaukee and traveled from Winnipeg to Bridgestone Arena in time for the third period to back up Annunen.
Brady Skjei recorded his 300th career point with a helper on Ufko’s goal.
Per NHL PR, Filip Forsberg recorded his 183rd multi-point game, which moved within one of Roman Josi (184) for the franchise record.
Forsberg also recorded his sixth 30-goal season, which tied Markus Naslund for the second most by a Swedish-born player. He trails Mats Sundin (13).
A back-to-back weekend is ahead for the Predators as they’ll host Vegas on Saturday afternoon before traveling to Chicago to face the Blackhawks for a Sunday matinee.
