The Nashville Predators extended their winning streak to five games with a 3-2 victory over the Winnipeg Jets on Sunday. The Predators, who are second in the Central Division, held off a late surge by the Jets, who are third in the same division.
Josi leads the Predators with three points
The Predators captain, Roman Josi, had a stellar performance with a goal and two assists. He opened the scoring in the first period with a power-play goal, assisted by Filip Forsberg and Ryan McDonagh. He then set up Yakov Trenin’s goal in the second period, which gave the Predators a 2-0 lead. Josi also assisted on Gustav Nyquist’s goal in the third period, which proved to be the game-winner.
Josi now has 10 goals and 18 assists in 19 games this season, leading the Predators in points. He is also among the top defensemen in the NHL in scoring, trailing only Cale Makar of the Colorado Avalanche.
Jets rally in the third period but fall short
The Jets did not give up easily, as they scored two goals in the third period to make it a one-goal game. Cole Perfetti scored his first NHL goal with a power-play goal, assisted by Kyle Connor and Mark Scheifele. Josh Morrissey then scored his fourth goal of the season, assisted by Scheifele and Connor, to cut the Predators’ lead to 3-2.
The Jets had several chances to tie the game in the final minutes, but the Predators goalie, Juuse Saros, made some key saves to preserve the win. Saros finished the game with 32 saves, while the Jets goalie, Connor Hellebuyck, had 23 saves.
Predators continue hot streak, Jets suffer second straight loss
The Predators have been one of the hottest teams in the NHL lately, winning five consecutive games and eight of their last 10. They have improved their record to 13-6-0, good for 26 points and second place in the Central Division. They are only two points behind the division-leading Minnesota Wild, who have played two more games than the Predators.
The Jets, on the other hand, have lost two straight games and three of their last five. They have dropped to 12-7-2, with 26 points and third place in the Central Division. They are tied with the Predators in points but have played one more game than them.
The Predators and the Jets will face each other again on Tuesday, Nov. 28, at the Bell MTS Place in Winnipeg. It will be the third and final meeting between the two teams this season, with the Predators winning both of the previous games.