Juuse Saros made 29 saves as the Nashville Predators defeated the New Jersey Devils 3-2 on Friday night.
Saros returned to the net for the first time after missing two games due to an undisclosed illness that was not COVID-19. Roman Josi and Eeli Tolvanen scored in the second period, and Yakov Trenin added a goal in the third, helping Nashville secure its fourth consecutive win.
“The competitive nature of the group is at a high level,” Nashville coach John Hynes said. “We have a lot of guys who are natural competitors, which is something we had talked about, and we find ways to win different games.”
The Devils have now lost five of their last seven games and seven of their last ten. Mackenzie Blackwood stopped 24 shots, and Pavel Zacha and Yegor Sharangovich each scored for New Jersey, which outshot Nashville 31-27.
“When you get those opportunities — and we’ll grow to learn from not taking advantage of that, or not executing to a top level. Part of that is youth, part of that is some confidence that you can get it done,” New Jersey coach Lindy Ruff said. “We just didn’t get it done tonight.”
The first period ended scoreless, with New Jersey holding a slight 6-3 advantage in shots on goal, aided by three power plays.
New Jersey broke through midway through the second period with Zacha’s ninth goal of the season. Nico Hischier won a board battle behind the net and passed to Jesper Bratt, who set up Zacha for a shot over Saros’ glove.
However, the lead lasted only 2:23, as Josi scored his ninth goal to tie the game. The Devils’ missed power-play opportunities were costly, with Tolvanen’s power-play goal giving Nashville a 2-1 lead heading into the second intermission.
“I was kind of all alone in the slot,” Josi said of his goal. “(I) tried to go low blocker, but I think it went through his hands a little bit.”
Trenin extended Nashville’s lead to 3-1 six minutes into the third period with his fifth goal of the season. Sharangovich added his fourth goal with 1:05 left to cap the scoring.
“We need to get more pucks to the net,” Hischier said. “In the first period, we were skating well, but we still weren’t enough in front of the net. The goalie saw all the pucks. We need to clean up that area, get those lucky bounces, and capitalize on opportunities.”
Bernier on IR
Devils coach Lindy Ruff announced that goaltender Jonathan Bernier was placed on injured reserve due to a lingering hip injury.
Ruff expressed concern for Bernier, who signed a two-year, $8.25 million contract, saying he will “meet with our doctors and medical staff to try to figure out what the next steps can be.”
New Jersey called Akira Schmid from AHL Utica to fill the roster spot.
Changing Predators
Nashville recalled Matt Luff from AHL Milwaukee to replace Matt Duchene, who missed the game with an upper-body injury and is considered “day-to-day.” Goaltender Connor Ingram was reassigned to Milwaukee following Saros’ return.
Up Next
- Predators: Visit the New York Rangers on Sunday.
- Devils: Visit the New York Islanders on Saturday night.
