Sissons Scores in OT, Turris Returns as Preds Defeat Canucks

The Predators lost a late lead to the Canucks, but it was a Vancouver native who saved the day.
Colton Sissons scored at 3:05 of overtime as Nashville defeated the Canucks by a 4-3 final on Thursday night at Bridgestone Arena. It's the 21st victory of the season for the Preds and provides a bit of revenge after they fell to the Canucks last week in Vancouver.
Nashville held a 3-1 lead with five minutes to play in regulation time, but two quick strikes from Vancouver forced the Preds to overtime for the first time at home this season. However, a slick feed from former Canucks forward Nick Bonino to Sissons sent the crowd home happy and gave Nashville their second-straight triumph.

"It was a little bit scary at the end there, but I thought we played a great game," Sissons said. "I'm not sure the score was very indicative of the game. I really liked our effort tonight for all 60 minutes, and it's something we can build off of."
Ryan Hartman got the scoring started when he snapped home his ninth of the season less than six minutes into the contest, and Bonino struck less than three minutes later with his fifth on the campaign.

Jay Beagle gave Vancouver life before the first was out with a shorthanded marker, but in the second stanza, Calle Jarnkrok tipped a Kyle Turris shot past Anders Nilsson and into the twine for a 3-1 advantage after 40 minutes.
Brock Boeser and Bo Horvat eventually tied the game late in the third frame, before Sissons ended a game that the Preds say was better than the final count may show.
"The score didn't really reflect how well we were playing," Hartman said. "We did a lot of good things, had a lot of chances, made some good saves. We deserve that one."

One more home game remains before the Christmas break, and while finding success on the road next week will become a focus in a few days, a perfect homestand would sure be a nice confidence boost to pack in the suitcase.
"We've been playing some good hockey this week," Sissons said. "Hopefully we can keep that going on Saturday night. We need some confidence going into the road, so hopefully we'll carry that through."

Welcome Back:
The absence of Kyle Turris left a noticeable hole in the Predators lineup, but his return to the ice on Thursday night showed just how much of a difference No. 8 can make.
Skating in his first outing since missing eight games due to injury, Turris assisted on Calle Jarnkrok's second-period strike and finished with more than 17 minutes of ice time, a welcome addition to a Preds squad that continues to deal with injury woes.
The helper gives him 17 points in 24 games this season, but his impact goes well beyond the scoresheet.
"Kyle was really good," Preds Head Coach Peter Laviolette said. "He was strong from start to finish, and it was nice to get him back. I think Kyle playing with Calle Jarnkrok and Craig Smith was an effective line and all three players played very well individually and they played well together, so it was certainly nice to have Kyle back tonight."
"He's a big difference-maker," Hartman said of Turris. "He's so skilled in the puck areas. He's got a great shot. He's really aware out there - you can tell on that third goal - kind of a tic-tac-toe play from [Yannick Weber] over to him. That may or may not have gone in without the tip, but it was a great tip by Jarnkrok, a really great goal."
There's bound to be more where that came from as Nashville's No. 2 center eases back into the lineup, a welcome sight as the Preds begin to get healthy once more.
As for Turris himself, he says he'll get better with time, but Thursday's effort wasn't a bad place to start.
"My timing was off, but that's something that will come," Turris said. "I'm just excited to be back."

Notes:
Anthony Bitetto and Zac Rinaldo were scratched on Thursday night, and with the return of Turris to the lineup, forward Eeli Tolvanen was reassigned to Milwaukee.
Colton Sissons now has goals in both games against Vancouver this season. He has six points (3g-3a) in his last five games.
Nashville concludes their three-game homestand on Saturday night as the New Jersey Devils come to town before embarking on a four-game excursion to lead into the Christmas break.