Juuse Saros became the franchise’s second-winningest goaltender, Philip Tomasino recorded the first multi-goal game of his career and Colton Sissons collected his 100th career assist as the Nashville Predators defeated the Philadelphia Flyers 4-2 on Thursday at Wells Fargo Center.
“It was outstanding, all game,” Predators Head Coach Andrew Brunette said. “We felt really competitive on the puck. The things we didn’t do on Tuesday, I thought we did them tonight and we played about a 58-minute game that I felt very comfortable with.”
“I thought we just battled hard and toward the end of the game, I think we started getting to our game a little more, and it worked out,” Tomasino said. “It was an awesome effort from our group and it’s always nice to get it done for the dads as well.”
The result moves Nashville to 19-14-0 on the season as they return home to face the Dallas Stars on Saturday.
QUICK HITS
Do It For the Dads
A win is sweet, but a win in front of the dads is even sweeter, and the Predators fathers departed Philadelphia on Thursday evening with a trip to remember.
“I may have to have my dad out here more,” Tomasino said after his two-goal game. “It’s awesome. I think all the dads had a great time these last couple of days. And this is the first time my dad’s been on a trip like this, so I'm sure he's been loving it. It was nice to get it done for all of them, for sure.”
“This trip is something you circle on your calendar,” Predators forward Cole Smith said. “It means so much not only to us but to them to see all their sacrifices come to fruition watching us play. And I think it's super special for us, because they've sacrificed everything for the last 20 years for us to get us where we are. And especially to be able to get a win for them in the stands, it means everything.”
Saros Hops Vokoun
After a 29-save effort, Saros earned his 162nd career win to surpass Tomas Vokoun for sole possession of the second-most wins in franchise history.
“He's our backbone,” Smith said. “We know we've got him back there kicking for us. For any little breakdowns, we’ve got Juicy. He made that huge save there in the third on that breakaway and that was the break we needed. And he comes up big for us all the time.”
“Juice is Juice,” Brunette said. “He's a highly-competitive kid, and what you saw tonight is what we see every night.”
Saros now sits behind former teammate and mentor Pekka Rinne (369) in franchise wins.
Two for Tommer
If Tomasino is looking for a consistent spot within the Predators lineup, Thursday’s performance certainly can’t hurt his outlook.
Tomasino’s two-goal performance was the first multi-goal outing of his career, the third goal in his last four games and his second game-winner in his last three games.
“My goal is to be here in the lineup every night,” Tomasino said. “I don't want to say I’ve been snakebitten, but I think I have to start burying my chances a little bit more. I think especially with the last 10 or 15 games, I've had a lot of really good looks that haven't gone in, so if I can continue to do that, I think there'll be a lot more.”
“It was a little bit of work to get him to play at a certain pace and understand my expectations of him,” Brunette said. “And he put the work in and he's been playing exceptional here the last month or so. And it's nice to see him get rewarded tonight because he's had so many good looks and he was driving a lot of offense for us.”
100 for Novak, 100 for Sissons
In front of their fathers, Tommy Novak and Colton Sissons each reached career milestones.
Novak skated in his 100th career NHL game and registered his ninth assist of the season in the effort.
Sissons, assisting on Smith’s shorthanded tally and Tomasino’s game-winner, reached 100 career assists.
A Shortie for Smith
Down a goal and on the penalty kill early in the second period, the Predators found an unexpected momentum boost, courtesy of Cole Smith.
Catching a pass from Colton Sissons in the neutral zone and powering into the Flyers’ zone with speed, Smith fired one past netminder Samuel Ersson on the far side to knot the score at 1-1.
The goal was Smith’s first career shorthanded goal and his fifth of the season - a career high for the Predators forward.
“We had some good pressure and I saw that Sissons was going to win the battle,” Smith said. “We took off and he made a great chip to me on the boards and I got my head up and saw we had a 2-on-1, almost 3-on-1, and I just made a quick move and was able to get the shot off.”
UP NEXT
The Predators return to Bridgestone Arena on Saturday afternoon to face the Dallas Stars in their final game before the Christmas break. Click here to buy tickets.
Puck drop is at 1 p.m. CT, with the game set to broadcast on Bally Sports South, 102.5 The Game and El Jefe Radio.
NOTES
- At 12:37 of the second period, Yakov Trenin was assigned a major penalty for boarding and a game misconduct.
- Filip Forsberg’s assist on Tomasino’s goal was his 21st of the season; Forsberg now leads the Predators in helpers.
- Cody Glass & Juuso Pärssinen were scratched and did not skate in Thursday’s game.
- Kiefer Sherwood returned from injury and rejoined the Predators for his first game since Dec. 12 vs. Philadelphia.
