Hischier scores twice in 3rd, Devils rally past Predators

NASHVILLE – Nico Hischier scored two goals in the third period for the New Jersey Devils, who rallied past the Nashville Predators for a 4-2 win at Bridgestone Arena on Tuesday.

Nico Daws made 30 saves in his second consecutive start for the Devils (27-21-4), who defeated the Seattle Kraken 3-1 on Monday. Daws stopped 27 shots in that win with Vitek Vanecek out with a lower-body injury and illness.

“Their goalie played well, and they blocked a lot of shots as well,” Devils forward Timo Meier said. “We kind of just stuck with it, which was important because I thought we created a lot. For most times, we were playing well defensively. We knew we had to be patient and win some battles in front of the net.”

Roman Josi and Cody Glass each had two assists, and Juuse Saros made 43 saves for the Predators (27-24-2), who have lost four of their past five games (1-3-1).

“We know how important these games are, and that’s why it’s really frustrating,” Josi said. “It can’t happen that late in the year. You can lose games, you can get outplayed sometimes, but you can’t get outworked, you can’t get outbattled. We’ve got to find a way to win those battles. In our position at this time of the year, we need to be a lot better.”

Hischier tied it 2-2 at 2:16 of the third period, redirecting a shot from the slot by Jesper Bratt past Saros.

“Obviously, it’s a big two points for us,” Devils coach Lindy Ruff said. “I just thought it was a complete team effort. Strong goaltending and a good effort from everybody.”

Meier gave the Devils a 3-2 lead at 14:45, stuffing in a loose puck in the crease.

“It feels nice,” Meier said. “Obviously, a big goal and to get those two points. I thought our line created some stuff, and we played well defensively. If you put that effort in and you work hard, eventually you’re going to have a bounce going your way. I thought overall we can be happy about this performance, but we also know there’s another step we can take. We’ve got to make sure we get some rest and ready up for the next game.”

Hischier scored an empty-net goal for the 4-2 final at 19:22.

“I think we got what we deserved,” Ruff said. “We played hard, we had the opportunities, we created the type of chances we wanted to create, and we got the two points we needed.”

Ryan O'Reilly’s power-play goal gave the Predators a 1-0 lead at 4:04 of the first period.

“We’re at a stage where we’re going to dictate where we are here for the next two weeks,” Nashville coach Andrew Brunette said. “Tonight, we dictated that we weren’t going to be that interested to be in the playoffs.”

Jack Hughes tied it 1-1 at 1:30 of the second period with a wrist shot from the right circle on a rush.

Tommy Novak put the Predators back in front 2-1 at 7:01 when he took a lead pass from Josi and beat Daws with a wrist shot from the slot.

“It’s unacceptable,” Glass said. “Especially with 30 games left, a playoff push. We’re right there in a playoff race. Like I said, it’s unacceptable. We had a meeting before the (All-Star) break. We didn’t want this to happen. Hopefully we learn quick from it. Don’t want to dwell on it too much, but we need better.”