Predators score 5 straight, rally past Maple Leafs

NASHVILLE -- Filip Forsberg had two goals and an assist for the Nashville Predators, who scored five straight times to rally for a 5-2 win against the Toronto Maple Leafs at Bridgestone Arena on Saturday.

“There’s been times this season where we’ve just been kind of sitting back and trying to hold onto something,” Forsberg said. “Tonight was the complete opposite. I thought we kept forward, kept pushing, kept getting chances. I think that’s the way we have to go.”

Luke Evangelista had a goal and two assists for the Predators (26-35-8), who ended a four-game losing streak (0-3-1). Fedor Svechkov had two assists, and Juuse Saros made 24 saves.

Mitch Marner had a goal and an assist, and John Tavares also scored for the Maple Leafs (42-25-3), who had won three in a row. Auston Matthews had two assists, and Joseph Woll made 27 saves.

“We just didn’t have a very good second period, obviously,” Tavares said. “I think some of our detail in coverage broke down and led to odd-man rushes for them, which obviously got them on the board, got them into the game, got them the lead. Their energy and their game built as the night went on.”

Toronto remained tied with the Florida Panthers for first place in the Atlantic Division with 87 points.

“I haven’t seen the mental mistakes like we made tonight in a while,” Maple Leafs coach Craig Berube said. “So we’ll look at it, we’ll discuss it with our team and go over things. And we’ll go over how we looked in the first period, too. Like I said, it’s a flip of the switch there for me.”

Tavares gave Toronto a 1-0 lead on the power play at 9:16 of the first period with a wrist shot from the slot off a pass from Marner, his 30th goal of the season.

Marner extended it to 2-0 at 13:05 on a one-timer following a face-off win by Matthews.

“I thought we got off to a good start,” Matthews said. “It seemed like we had good life and good legs and good energy. Special teams, obviously we can be better on both sides, but it just felt like the momentum swung the other way and we weren’t really able to get it back.”

Scott Laughton appeared to score again for the Maple Leafs at 14:10, but the goal was overturned after a video review initiated by the NHL Situation Room determined there was high-sticking on the play.

Michael Bunting cut it to 2-1 at 1:39 of the second period on the power play. Svechkov won a puck battle behind the net and made a backhand pass to Bunting, who beat Woll glove side.

It was Bunting’s first goal with the Predators since being traded from the Pittsburgh Penguins on March 5.

“It felt good to finally get that one under my belt,” Bunting said. “And also, more importantly, we got the win. My first win with the Preds. It’s been great here so far. Obviously hasn’t been a good run here for a little bit of late for us, but I thought today we responded really well after the first period.”

Kieffer Bellows tied it 2-2 at 9:15 on a wrist shot from the right circle on a 2-on-1 rush.

Forsberg gave Nashville a 3-2 lead at 19:13 on a rebound of his own shot in the goal crease off a 3-on-1 rush.

Evangelista extended it to 4-2 at 10:17 of the third period on a wrist shot from the slot off a cross-ice pass from Forsberg.

“It hasn’t been an easy year,” Evangelista said. “It’s been a lot more feeling frustrated than feeling nights like this. You’ve got to enjoy these kind of nights because they don’t come around all that often, especially this year.”

Forsberg scored an empty-net goal at 19:23 for the 5-2 final.

NOTES: Tavares reached the 30-goal mark for the seventh time in his NHL career. He also became the fifth player in Maple Leafs history to record a 30-goal season at age 34 or older, joining Mats Sundin (32 in 2007-08 and 31 in 2005-06), Mike Gartner (35 in 1995-96), Norm Ullman (34 in 1970-71) and Alexander Mogilny (33 in 2002-03). … Forsberg scored his 107th career go-ahead goal, which ranks first in Predators franchise history -- the next closest is David Legwand (80).