Forsberg Scores Twice as Preds Fall to Jets, 6-3

Filip Forsberg scored twice, but the Nashville Predators ultimately fell to the Winnipeg Jets, 6-3, on Thursday at Canada Life Centre.

Kyle Connor netted a hat trick to help Winnipeg seal the win. Juuse Saros made 31 saves for the Predators, who moved to 5-8-0 on the season with the loss and finished their five-game road trip with a 1-4-0 record.

The Jets were the first to light the lamp on a tic-tac-toe play from Nino Niederreiter to Adam Lowry to Mason Appleton, who found the back of the net at 4:04 of the first period.

Forsberg had an answer minutes later in transition, weaving through the Winnipeg defense and sending the puck through the five-hole to tie the score at 6:43.

Lowry dropped gloves with Jeremy Lauzon midway through the first period after Lauzon checked Winnipeg forward Rasmus Kupari into the boards. In Lowry’s first shift out of the box, he laid a thunderous hit on Marc Del Gaizo in the corner, leading him to drop gloves a second time – this time against Cole Smith. Smith was assessed two minutes for instigating, five for fighting and a 10-minute game misconduct at 16:11 of the first period.

Winnipeg retook the lead 65 seconds into the second period, when Connor was left wide open in the slot for the go-ahead goal. Connor struck again, less than three minutes later, with a backhand shot to put the Jets up 3-1.

The Jets got a 5-on-3 advantage midway through the second period, when Gustav Nyquist was whistled for interference and joined Del Gaizo, who was already in the box for a delay of game penalty. Cole Perfetti capitalized and knocked home a rebound to extend Winnipeg’s lead to 4-1.

The Jets were penalized for too many men on the ice during the final minute of their power play, and Forsberg capitalized on the 4-on-4 with his second goal of the night at 12:05 of the middle frame. A cross-ice pass from Tyson Barrie found Forsberg in front of the net, where he beat Jets goalie Laurent Broissoit to cut Nashville’s deficit to 4-2.

Despite nearly three minutes on the man advantage in the third period, the Predators were unable to capitalize. A Brenden Dillon goal at even strength was initially waved off when Lowry was called for goaltender interference, but after deliberation, the officials determined the goal was good.

Nashville brought it within two when Philip Tomasino tipped in Barrie’s shot for Nashville’s third goal at 16:16 of the third period, but Connor scored into the empty net less than 30 seconds later for the 6-3 final.

PREDS STANDOUTS

Scoresberg: Forsberg doubled his goal total this season with two against Winnipeg, and he leads the Predators with 14 points (4g-10a). He now has 22 points (6g-16a) in 34 career games against the Jets.

Tommer Time: Tomasino’s goal in the third period was his first of the season.

Delly for Three: With an assist on Tomasino’s goal, Del Gaizo now has three points (all assists) in his first three NHL games. He made his NHL debut with the Predators on Saturday at Edmonton and earned his first point on a secondary assist on Forsberg’s first-period goal.

Juice Man: Saros had a second consecutive game with 30-plus saves. He stopped a season-high 35 shots in Tuesday’s loss to the Calgary Flames.

Tyson x2: Barrie had a two-point night (2a), earning assists on Forsberg’s goal in the second period and on Tomasino’s goal in the third.

THEY SAID IT

Forsberg on his impressions of the game:

“It's hard to really put it up put a number on it. I thought we probably played pretty well in the first period. It was good, obviously, to get to early goals. Then in the second we had a lot of penalties, which was definitely the theme of the night. It’s one of those games where it could have gone either way, but a couple of breakdowns and it just goes the other way.” 

Forsberg on returning home after a long road trip:

“I think we're ready. Obviously, we would have definitely liked to have a better road trip. I thought we did a lot of good things but at the end of the day, we only got two points to bring back. So we’ve got to try to try to turn that around.”

Head Coach Andrew Brunette on his assessment of the game:

“I liked parts of it. There was a little bit of breakdown there in the second that I wasn't overly excited about. I thought we missed a couple of assignments. The power play wasn't great. But I thought we hung in there. I just didn't like that first part of the second.”

Brunette on Nashville’s power play:

“The power play was a little disappointing. I think at the end of the second we had a chance to make it a one-goal game and really kind of push it a little bit going into the third, but we fell short. We were chasing the game, and in this league, it makes it tough. We're just kind of ran out of time to get to our game completely and regroup.”

Brunette on Forsberg’s play:

“When he's on the puck like that and he's around it, he's really dangerous. Obviously he's got the skill, but what I really appreciated and was proud of him for was he was on the puck. Earlier in the season, he maybe wasn't as much, and it seems like every game he’s getting better.”

UP NEXT

The Predators return to Bridgestone Arena to kick off a five-game homestand on Saturday against the Arizona Coyotes. 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.