Predators Ice Bounce-Back Effort in 5-2 Win Over Blues

One down, four to go.

Five different Predators skaters scored and Juuse Saros made 35 saves as Nashville defeated the St. Louis Blues, 5-2, at Enterprise Center on Saturday.

The victory followed a vastly-improved effort from Thursday’s 9-2 loss at Bridgestone Arena and the Predators closed the first outing of their five-game road trip with plenty to be happy about.

“I think it says a lot,” Predators forward Filip Forsberg said. “I think we've been put in those situations obviously a few times and I think we've answered the bell, for the most part. Obviously we don't want to repeat [Thursday’s] effort or that result, but tonight was a lot better. So, we’ve got to learn from that and keep building.”

“It feels good,” Predators Head Coach Andrew Brunette said. “I thought we put in a complete 60 minute effort. We haven't done that for a while, we've kind of lost our game a little bit since the break. And tonight was the first sign of looking like us, so we're going to build on it.”

The result moves Nashville to 28-25-2 on the campaign and 14-10-2 on the road.

QUICK HITS

Closing the Gap

The Predators knew the stakes entering Saturday’s contest and answered accordingly.

Trailing St. Louis and the Western Conference’s final Wild Card spot by four points with just 28 games remaining in the season, the Predators came out on the winning side of a four-point swing and inched closer to a postseason position.

“That's the good thing about this League,” defenseman Luke Schenn said. “As you know, after having a terrible game from start to finish [Thursday], we had a chance to respond… You play 82 games in this League and they're not all going to be great. You're going to go through tough stretches and some tough weeks, but we came out and competed tonight and played a pretty solid effort.”

Forsberg Ties Legwand

With a goal and an assist, Forsberg tied David Legwand (566) for the second-most points in Predators history, behind Roman Josi (650).

The effort was the forward's 17th multi-point game of the season and the second in his last four outings.

“When he gets dialed in and when he plays like that, he's hard to stop,” Brunette said. “He's been a driving force for us all year and he’s been a pleasure to coach and be around.”

Forsberg has netted 26 goals and 29 assists in 55 games this season; he leads the Predators in both goals and points (55).

Schenn’s First in Gold

Skating against his little brother Brayden and in front of parents Jeff and Rita, Schenn scored his first career goal with the Predators.

“I was getting a little bit nervous there, thinking maybe it wasn't going to come for me,” he said. “Obviously, the bigger picture and the more exciting part is it contributed to a win. That's what I'm most excited about. But there's no question, I was thinking about it a little bit, trying to get that first one out of the way. And I feel like I've had some opportunities and some shots on net. So, it's nice to finally get one and catch a break.”

Schenn has six points (1g-5a) in 36 games with the Predators this season.

Two for O’Reilly

St. Louis’ former captain had another great showing against the Blues, tallying an empty-net goal and an assist for his 14th multi-point game of the season and the second in his last four outings.

Including a one-goal performance in Nashville’s first meeting with St. Louis on Nov. 24, O’Reilly has recorded three points (2g-1a) against his former club this season.

O’Reilly’s goal was his 20th of the season and made him the first player to reach the 20-goal mark in their first season with the Predators since James Neal in 2014-15 (23).

50 for 59

With an assist on Forsberg’s third-period goal, Josi reached the 50-point mark for the eighth time in his career, becoming the only player in Predators history to accomplish the feat.

Nashville’s captain has 11 goals and a team-high 39 assists after 55 games this season.

Vincenz-goal

Rejoining Nashville’s lineup after serving as a healthy scratch on Thursday, Evangelista netted his first game-winning goal of the season in highlight-reel fashion.

Collecting the puck off a Blues misplay and powering into St. Louis' zone, Evangelista beat Blues netminder Jordan Binnington for his 10th goal of the season and his first in 11 games.

Goal-ton Sissons

Sissons’ unassisted first-period goal was his 14th of the season and his first in six games.

The forward is one goal and four points shy of matching career highs in both categories, each set during the 2018-19 season.

UP NEXT

The Predators continue their five-game road slate when they face the Vegas Golden Knights at T-Mobile Arena on Tuesday.

Puck drop is at 9 p.m. CT, with the game set to broadcast on Bally Sports South, 102.5 The Game and El Jefe Radio.

NOTES

• Egor Afanasyev, Tyson Barrie and Denis Gurianov were scratched and did not skate in Saturday’s game.