The Nashville Predators took the lead three different times but ultimately fell to the Pittsburgh Penguins, 5-4, in overtime Thursday at Bridgestone Arena.
Sidney Crosby had a goal and three assists for the Penguins, ending his 10-game goal drought. Filip Forsberg (2 assists) and Brady Skjei (1 goal, 1 assist) led the Predators with two points apiece.
With the overtime loss, Nashville moves to 9-17-7 on the season.
How the Predators lined up vs. Pittsburgh
Forsberg-Stamkos-Marchessault
L’Heureux-O’Reilly-Nyquist
Jankowski-Novak-Evangelista
Smith-McCarron-Sissons
Skjei-Blankenburg
Lauzon-Wilsby
Del Gaizo-Schenn
Saros
Annunen
Extra: Barron, Pärssinen
IR: Josi
Jeremy Lauzon was activated from injured reserve and slotted back into the lineup after missing the last 10 games with a lower-body injury. Roman Josi, previously listed as day-to-day with a lower-body injury, was shifted to IR. Marc Del Gaizo, who was placed on waivers Wednesday, cleared waivers and slotted in for the Predators against Pittsburgh.
Justin Barron, acquired Wednesday evening in a trade that sent Alexandre Carrier to the Montreal Canadiens, arrived in Nashville late Thursday afternoon and did not suit up for the Predators in Thursday’s game.
Game Summary
The Predators opened the scoring when Jonathan Marchessault finished off a feed from Filip Forsberg off the rush at the 3:51 mark of the first period. After Marchessault’s goal gave the Predators a 1-0 lead, Bryan Rust tied the game for Pittsburgh with a backhand shot at 16:21.
Luke Evangelista had a quick response, punching in the rebound of a Tommy Novak shot for an easy score on the power play while Anthony Beauvillier sat for interference.
Just over three minutes into the second period, with the Penguins on a delayed penalty, Steven Stamkos buried a shot from the left circle to extend the Predators’ lead to 3-1. The Penguins scored twice in the span of just over a minute, however, to knot the score at three apiece. Crosby deflected home a shot by Erik Karlsson to make it 3-2, and Rickard Rakell was credited with a goal that bounced in off Lauzon’s leg.
Brady Skjei broke the tie at the 7:44 mark of the third period scored with a wrist shot from the right circle off Ryan O’Reilly’s cross-ice pass to finish off a 3-on-1 rush. However, Karlsson tied it back up for the Penguins at 11:36 with a wrist shot through traffic.
Rust scored 1:07 into overtime with a wrist shot from the high slot off a pass from Evgeni Malkin for the 5-4 final.
Key Takeaways & Notes
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Thursday marked the first time this season that Nashville’s three big offseason free agent signings – Stamkos, Marchessault and Skjei – all scored in the same game.
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With a goal in the first period, Marchessault extended his point streak to five games. He has seven points (4 goals, 3 assists) in that span.
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Luke Schenn’s assist on Marchessault’s first-period goal was his 200th career NHL point.
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The Predators are now 1-7 in overtime games this season, while the Penguins are 6-5.
Up Next
The Predators continue their four-game homestand Saturday, when they host the Los Angeles Kings at Bridgestone Arena. The puck drops at 12:30 p.m. CT, and the game will be broadcast regionally on FanDuel Sports Network South and on NHL Network.
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