Not since the Presidents’ Trophy days of the 2017-18 campaign had the team in Gold and Navy recorded points in 15 straight.
That all changed on Tuesday.
Four different Predators skaters recorded three-point performances and two more registered a pair each as Nashville defeated the San Jose Sharks, 8-2 at Bridgestone Arena, to extend their point streak to a franchise-high 15 games (13-0-2).
“The confidence is high,” Predators Captain Roman Josi said. “We're very grateful for this opportunity, to have this point streak. You can't take it for granted. There's a lot of work that we put into to get to this point and obviously we want to keep it going as long as we can. But I think we're realizing as a group what made us get here and the way we’ve played to get to this point, and so we’ve just got to keep doing it.”
“I think we've been pretty good at staying in the moment,” Predators Head Coach Andrew Brunette said. “Obviously, you enjoy each victory. These things, you have to celebrate them a little bit through this run, but then you’ve got to wake up in the morning and get ready to go again. Let's enjoy it for tonight, it’s special to tie [the point streak], but we've got another game to play.”
The win was Nashville’s 40th of the season and moved the Predators to 19-15-1 at home.
QUICK HITS
Relentless Preds
After giving up the lead just under six minutes into the middle frame, the Predators responded accordingly, scoring three times within the final 10 minutes of the period.
The fun did not end there.
Scoring four more times before the final buzzer sounded, the Predators exited the game with their second eight-goal game of the season, and were just one shy of matching the highest number scored in a game in franchise history.
“We just kill other teams’ will in the third period,” Predators forward Michael McCarron said. “The way we play, just over and over and over, is to do the right things. And as a result, you can see in the third period, teams are getting tired and they don't want to keep coming back for pucks. So we're relentless on it and it feels good when we're relentless because we usually come out on top.”
“We talk about the world relentless,” Brunette said. “I think that's kind of what our third periods are starting to look like. We're on top, there's not a lot of space and we're not sitting back. I think early in the year, or probably in between a little bit, we lacked a little confidence closing on games. Through the stretch, we're gaining experience, we're gaining maturity and we're understanding certain situations.”
Josi for Norris
Nashville’s captain continued to dazzle on Tuesday evening, recording his third three-point performance (1g-2a) in his last 10 outings and his third-straight multipoint game.
“He’s just on an insane stretch right now,” Predators forward Luke Evangelista said. “It feels like we’re going into every game relying on him to put up one or two points at least. He’s really carrying us right now and playing some great hockey, so it’s a pleasure to be a part of.”
“He's been doing it all year, but I think he took over the game a little bit,” Brunette said. “We talked about it in the Seattle game, how he often gets overlooked. But he’s made some really special plays and he's having a great year. People I think overlook him because he's done it for so long and he's had so much success, but I'm grateful to have him on our team. He drives it both on and off the ice.”
In his 35th career three-point outing, Josi additionally extended his point streak to four games (3g-5a).
A Career High for McDonagh
Ryan McDonagh matched a season-high three-game point streak with his 23rd assist of the season, then tacked on two more helpers to earn his second straight multi-point performance and his first three-point performance of the season.
The defenseman additionally left the playing surface with a career-high +6 rating.
“He probably could have been +9,” Brunette said. “He's such a big part of our group, with the leadership. And he looks enthused to be playing hockey right now, he's enjoying the group and he's such a great player when you see him tonight, how he closes on you and how he skates and the leadership. And nobody really sees the leadership, but what he brings in the room is pretty good.”
Zucker’s First at Home
A former Central Division rival, Jason Zucker used to neither like, nor love Nashville’s goal song.
Safe to say, the recently acquired forward changed his tune on Tuesday after scoring his first goal in front of the home crowd, then after hearing the country stylings of Tim McGraw six more times.
“I liked it a little bit more tonight, that's for sure,” Zucker said. “It was so good to be on the right side of it. And it was a good win for us.”
The goal was Zucker's second in five games with the Predators.
“It’s not overly surprising,” Brunette said. “I had him as a coach a while ago, and the way he skates, his competitiveness, [his] leadership qualities - he's got a knack for scoring big goals and he's fit in really good.”
McCarron Double Dips
With two goals, McCarron recorded his second multi-goal performance of the season and the fourth of his career.
“I think our line struggled a bit early,” McCarron said. “We weren't able to get to our game early in the game, which we usually have been as of late. So we were a little frustrated and we were lucky to get one there and I think it just springboarded the rest of the game for our line. I think we were really good the rest of the game… So it was good, we went to the net hard and sometimes the puck just ends up on your stick like that.”
Pretty Backhand Vincenzo
Cutting to the inside with a slick deke, then throwing a no-look backhander at the cage, Luke Evangelista scored his 15th of the season in true ‘Pretty Boy’ fashion.
“I think him and [Tommy Novak]...They’ve got it going on right now,” Brunette said. “They're skating as good as they skated all year, and they have the capabilities of making special plays. And when you talk about going on a little bit of a run here, I think they get overlooked. They're really kicking in that secondary scoring that maybe we've missed most of the year and to see them be able to carry, they're kind of carrying us at different times, and everybody's pulling the rope, but it's nice to see them get rewarded.”
Evangelista is now tied for fifth among NHL rookies in points with a career-high 32 on the season.
A Career High for Fil
With a goal and two assists, Filip Forsberg recorded his 23rd multi-point outing of the season to best a career high established during the 2021-22 season.
The effort additionally gave Forsberg his seventh three-point outing of the season, his second straight multi-point outing and a four-game point streak (3g-5a).
Nyquist Hits 60
With an assist on Forsberg’s goal, Gustav Nyquist hit the 60-point mark for the first time in his career.
The forward (18g-42a) joins Paul Kariya (85 in 2005-06), J-P Dumont (66 in 2006-07) and Mike Ribeiro (62 in 2014-15) as the only other skaters in Predators history to reach the 60-point mark during their first season with the team.
Three for Woody
With three assists, Kiefer Sherwood recorded his second three-point performance of his career.
Sherwood’s only other three-point performance (1g-2a) was recorded on Nov. 24, 2023 against the St. Louis Blues, the last game to feature eight Predators goals.
UP NEXT
The Predators March slate continues with a road game against the Florida Panthers on Thursday.
Puck drop at Amerant Bank Arena is at 6:30 p.m. CT, with the game set to broadcast on ESPN+/Hulu, 102.5 The Game and El Jefe Radio.
NOTES
- Nashville extended their point streak against San Jose to 13 games (12-0-1); the streak dates back to March 16, 2019 and has seen the Predators allow no more than two goals against in a single contest. The Predators have additionally won each of their last 10 games and each of their last seven at home vs. the Sharks.
- Deadline pickup Anthony Beauvillier recorded his first point with the Predators with an assist on Mark Jankowski's third-period goal.
- Defenseman Marc Del Gaizo appeared in his first game with the Predators since Nov. 14, 2023 after being called up from the Milwaukee Admirals (AHL) on Monday.
- Jaret Anderson-Dolan, Dante Fabbro (upper body, week-to-week), Cody Glass, Jeremy Lauzon (lower body, week-to-week) and Spencer Stastney (upper body, week-to-week) were scratched and did not skate in Tuesday’s game.
