Juuse Saros more than earned win No. 200.
The Predators goaltender made 34 saves, Luke Evangelista tallied twice and Nashville defeated the Carolina Hurricanes by a 4-1 final on Tuesday night at Lenovo Center. The result sees the Preds sweep the season series over the Canes to complete a two-game trip.
Michael Bunting also found the back of the net for the Preds, and on the road against one of the League’s top teams, the visitors withstood the storm and escaped with two points.
“It wasn't our prettiest [game],” Evangelista said. “We knew coming into this building, the kind of system and game that Carolina plays, it wasn't going to be a pretty effort. Fortunately, we had some great goaltending. [Saros] was huge for us tonight, and kind of bailed us out. You’re going to have games like that sometimes where it's not super pretty, but we got the job done.”
“It feels good for our group,” Preds Head Coach Andrew Brunette said. “I think we've done the other end of that one, it seems like all year, and for us to get a game where I thought they dictated most of the game. I thought we hung in there, and [Saros] was unbelievable. We got timely goals. So, I'm happy for them. Like I said, I've left so many of these games this year probably feeling like they're feeling over there."
Bunting’s second power-play goal as a member of the Preds came in the opening period when he found a loose puck that Carolina goaltender Pyotr Kochetkov thought was covered, but the winger snuck into the crease and gave Nashville a 1-0 lead.
Evangelista then doubled the advantage for the Predators with a beautiful tally that saw him deke Kochetkov out and finish the play on the backhand for one of the prettier Nashville goals this season. However, Carolina peppered the Preds with shots in the middle period, and Taylor Hall converted on the power play to cut the Nashville lead in half headed into the final frame.
As Saros continued to turn aside Carolina chances left and right, Evangelista soon tipped in a Marc Del Gaizo shot to put the Preds back up by two, and that was all they needed to close things out.
“There hasn't been a lot of feeling good throughout the course of the year,” Evangelista said. “It's been a grind, personally, and as a team. So, just to string a few solid games together here and get some wins, it's just a good feeling in the room. It's a lot more fun when things are clicking for us, and we're just going to keep looking to build.”
And as for Saros, the goaltender had to work harder than most nights to collect his milestone win, but that made it all the more satisfying to take a moment and reflect on Thursday’s triumph - plus the previous 199.
“It’s obviously pretty cool,” Saros said. “Growing up as a kid, you always dream that maybe you'll get a one game, but it’s gone by fast. Obviously shows that I've been fortunate to play with a lot of great groups during my time here. [It’s a] cool milestone.”
“You could probably say [Saros] earned all 200 tonight,” Brunette laughed. “He was great. Especially when he gets in the mode he can, at least for me, being around two years, you can kind of tell early when he's got it, and he had it.”
Notes:
Defenseman Jordan Oesterle returned to the Nashville lineup on Tuesday in Carolina. Forward Jakub Vrana and blueliner Andreas Englund were healthy scratches for the Preds.
Per NHL Stats, Juuse Saros earned the 200th win of his career and became the sixth Finnish-born goaltender in NHL history to reach the milestone. The list is topped by former teammate Pekka Rinne (369).
Per NHL Stats, Filip Forsberg (1a) recorded his 22nd career five-game point streak and passed Roman Josi (21) for the most in Predators history.
The Predators will now return to Bridgestone Arena for a two-game homestand that begins on Thursday night with a third and final meeting against the St. Louis Blues in a 10-day span.
