Predators – 2, Maple Leafs – 3: Gutsy Effort and Goals by Barrie, Glass Not Enough to Overcome Leafs
Holl #Holl
The Nashville Predators battled, but two power play goals by John Tavares helped earn the Toronto Maple Leafs the win tonight.
The Nashville Predators had little time to lament Saturday’s 7-2 loss to the Seattle Kraken as they welcomed the 43-20-9 Toronto Maple Leafs to Bridgestone Arena for the second game of a back to back. The Maple Leafs bring plenty of offensive fire power with Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, William Nylander, and John Tavares. Toronto is a team gearing up for a deep playoff run. Young Joseph Woll got the start in net tonight for the Maple Leafs in just his fourth game of the season.
The Predators needed to bounce back from a poor third period performance in which the Kraken scored four times to turn a close game into a blowout loss yesterday. Tonight backup Kevin Lankinen started in net for Nashville, but other than that the line up remained unchanged.
Game Recap
The Predators started the game well, recording eight shots on goal in the first five minutes of the opening period after getting just one shot on goal in yesterday’s entire first period. The Maple Leafs pressured Lankinen midway through the period after a turnover in the defensive zone, but Lankinen handled the shots generated off the mistake and the Preds survived.
Date Fabbro hit the post around the 14:00 minute mark, but Woll got a helpful bounce from the bar to keep the puck out of the net. As the period wound down, Toronto had their own near goal, but Lankinen got great support from the defense to prevent the score.
At 17:18 Yakov Trenin headed to the penalty box for a trip and the Maple Leafs went on the power play. Lankinen made an incredible save at the beginning of the two minutes but couldn’t stop John Tavares’ shot from the low slot to give Toronto the lead at 18:06. The teams headed to the locker room with the score 1-0.
The momentum the Maple Leafs generated late in the first spilled over into the second. Alexander Kerfoot scored on an early odd man rush just over a minute in to give Toronto a 2-0 lead.
Nashville got their first chance on the power play as Phil Tomasino took a high stick from Justin Holl. Nashville recorded one shot on net before the two minutes expired. A shot just as the power play ended hit Matt Duchene in the hand, and he left the ice and headed down the tunnel immediately.
Mark Jankowski was sent to the penalty box for a slash at 7:14. The Predators survived the two minute penalty and returned to full strength. Jankowski made up for his penalty by getting a critical clear after joining back into the play in the defensive zone to end Toronto’s offensive pressure.
Wayne Simmonds ran into Lankinen after the Preds goaltender made a save, and that decision sent Simmonds to the penalty box at 10:49. Nashville didn’t have Duchene on the man advantage, and the Preds pressured but couldn’t score. The power play gave Nashville a shot of adrenaline, but the momentum was interrupted by an exaggerated tripping call against the Predators. The penalty killing unit handled the two minute well, and the team returned to full strength.
Kevin Lankinen made several huge saves for the Predators at the end of the second period to keep the score 2-0 headed into the second intermission.
Phil Tomasino headed to the penalty box for a slash early in the third period giving the Maple Leafs’ potent power play another chance. Lankinen made two big saves, and when Tomasino exited the box he stole the puck and drew a holding penalty. The power play pushed for chances but couldn’t capitalize.
The teams played five on five through the middle of the period but neither could score on their chances in that stretch. Nashville got their fourth opportunity on the power play at 12:27 as John Tavares headed to the penalty box for an interference infraction. This time Cody Glass tipped Tyson Barrie’s shot past Woll to get Nashville within one goal.
Just as the Predators gained momentum from the score a slash call sent Cal Foote to the box at 14:16. Tavares scored his second power play goal of the game despite tough play by Nashville’s penalty kill.
The Predators couldn’t do much more than clear the puck from the defensive zone as time wound down in the game. As soon as the Preds got down the ice into the offensive zone, the extra attacker came on. Tyson Barrie shot through traffic to score and get Nashville back within one goal with just 1:45 left on the clock.
Lankinen headed back to the bench after Nashville regained possession off the ensuing faceoff. The Predators pressured Woll right up until the final buzzer, but lost the game 3-2.
Game Notes
1. Kevin Lankinen was solid in net for Nashville. Many squawked when Poile signed Kevin Lankinen in the offseason, but no one was fussing when Lankinen signed another one year deal earlier this month. A game like tonight’s is why.
2. The penalty kill had a challenging night against a top team. Toronto scored on two of their five power play chances against a Maple Leafs power play that ranks near the very top in the league. The kill has been playing with confidence, and they will need to shake off this game.
3. No the Predators didn’t get two much needed two points, but hats off for a gutsy performance. This team is depleted by injuries and lost yet another veteran player tonight when Duchene left and didn’t return. Despite facing one of the best offensive teams in the league, they did not play intimidated and battled until the very last second. The heart of this team is strong and the maturity to put together a solid game after yesterday’s brutal loss is an encouraging sign looking to the future.
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