Filip Forsberg Lifts Preds to 3-2 OT Win Over Penguins

Filip Forsberg scored the overtime winner to lift the Nashville Predators to a 3-2 victory over Pittsburgh Penguins for their sixth straight win on Tuesday at Bridgestone Arena.

Michael McCarron scored both of Nashville’s goals in regulation and Juuse Saros made 29 saves in goal for the Predators, who improved to 11-10-0 on the season and 8-4-0 at home. Nashville is also 2-0-0 in games requiring overtime this season.

McCarron netted his first goal of the night midway through the first period, tipping in a Tyson Barrie point shot to give the Predators a 1-0 lead.

A delayed cross-checking penalty on Pittsburgh’s Reilly Smith gave Nashville an extra attacker with less than two minutes remaining in the first. Philip Tomasino put a shot on goal from the corner, and McCarron shoveled in the rebound for his second goal of the period to extend Nashville’s lead to 2-0 heading into the first intermission.

Pittsburgh cut Nashville’s lead in half early in the second period as Evgeni Malkin received a no-look pass from Smith and one-timed it into the back of the net to make it 2-1.

Bryan Rust tallied the equalizer just over two minutes into the third period, ripping a shot past Saros from the top of the circle to tie the game at 2-2.

It took just 14 seconds of overtime for the Preds to secure the win; Forsberg entered the zone on a breakaway and snapped a wrist shot past Pittsburgh goaltender Tristan Jarry for the 3-2 final.

PREDS STANDOUTS

Fil the Thrill: With the OT winner and an assist on McCarron’s second goal, Forsberg extended his team lead in goals (12), assists (15) and points (27). He has points in eight of his last nine games (10g-5a).

Big Mac’s Big Night: McCarron recorded his third career multi-goal game and his first since March 29, 2022 vs. Ottawa. Tuesday marked the first time in his NHL career that he scored multiple goals in the same period. McCarron also dropped the gloves with Pittsburgh’s John Ludvig in the second period and was just one assist away from a Gordie Howe hat trick.

Gus Bus Keeps Rolling: With a secondary assist on McCarron’s first-period tally, Gustav Nyquist extended his point streak to nine games (2g-9a); it is the second-longest of his NHL career (longest: 10 in 2013-14). Nyquist’s 21 points (11g-10a) in 25 career games against the Penguins are the most by a current Predators player.

THEY SAID IT

McCarron on his two-goal performance:

“Those games don't come around often, and when they do, it definitely feels good. But it feels even better when the boys battled to the end. We played a really good team. We knew that we were going to have to have some defensive zone time, and I think we managed it pretty well. [Saros] obviously had a heck of a game, but it took us more than 60 minutes to win tonight and that's what we did.”

Forsberg on his recent hot streak:

“I think I'm playing a pretty fast game. I think our line is playing really well down low. I think we're getting a lot of pucks back on the forecheck and creating like that. Obviously, [Nyquist and Ryan O’Reilly] are making a lot of plays for me, and I just tried to kind of be the response.”

Forsberg on what the team has done well over the win streak:

“I like the pace we're playing with and the work ethic. Even throughout the whole lineup, I think we're defending pretty well with defending a lot better than we did originally. We're not defending as much, which is also a good sign. We're winning pucks. I think our speed is the biggest thing that has kind of picked up and we’ve got to keep it up.”

Nyquist on his assessment of the win:

“I'm just happy with the way the team’s playing right now. Obviously, it's fun to get on a little bit of a roll here; it’s hard to do in this league. We’ve just got to keep doing the same things. We beat a pretty good team today. Overall, game-wise I thought it was kind of a back and forth game but I thought we had a really strong third after they scored. I thought we were the ones that were kind of pushing the play and that was really nice to see today.”

Head Coach Andrew Brunette on his assessment of the game:

“I think [games like this] are important for growth. I really liked our third period. That, for me, is a sign that we're grasping a few things and understanding the importance of the timing of our game. We recognized that we were a little too reactive in the second and we kind of wanted to dictate the third, and I felt like we did a really good job of that.”

Brunette on the play of McCarron:

“He brings a little bit of everything. His fight energizes the bench. I think he sticks up for his teammates. He's a fun guy to be around. He brings a lot of life and he's very vocal, which is really good for our group. And he's a likable guy; when you have a guy that plays that hard for you, and he'll stick up for anybody, and he’ll have fun with anybody, I think it’s always a great guy to have around. It's nice to see him get some goals.”

UP NEXT

The Predators continue their four-game homestand on Thursday, when they host the Minnesota Wild at Bridgestone Arena. The puck drops at 7 p.m. CT, and the game will be broadcast on Bally Sports South, 102.5 The Game and El Jefe Radio. Click here for tickets.