The Nashville Predators capped off their first back-to-back this season with a 4-3 overtime win against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Saturday night.
Forward Jonathan Marchessault was the hero as he turned Damon Severson inside out in the corner to break in on Daniil Tarasov for the game-winner. It was Marchessault’s 11th career overtime game-winner & first for the Predators.
“I’m happy for him, it’s a big adjustment & he’s been working, it hasn’t been coming easy for him,” head coach Andrew Brunette said. “I thought he played a really good game, he was on pucks & had lots of chances to make plays. It was good that he got one & I’m sure he feels better.”
New Look Forward Lines
Nashville gave a few new lines a look against Columbus. Gustav Nyquist was taken off the top line & put with Tommy Novak & Steven Stamkos. An early look came from Nyquist as he tried to feed Stamkos a pass from the right corner.
According to my sheets, the line of Forsberg-O’Reilly-Nyquist played 86 games together up until tonight. That includes the postseason games against Vancouver too.
— Nick Kieser
(@KieserNick) October 26, 2024
Jonathan Marchessault replaced Nyquist on the top line, he skated with Ryan O’Reilly & Filip Forsberg. Luke Evangelista was positioned to start the contest with Colton Sissons & Mark Jankowski.
“Going through the stretch here they were kind of the line that created every night for us & carried us on different nights,” Brunette said of breaking up the top line.
“It’s tough to break up but I think for the betterment of the group we had to try a few different things & see if we could get some guys going, especially on a back-to-back.”
Brunette continues the trend of trying to see what his forwards can muster on offense. To this point, his team has 11 even-strength goals through eight games.
Breaking It Down
While the Predators have gotten off to a slow start this season, the time spent getting to a quick pace has been inconsistent. Against the Blue Jackets, there were brief moments that paid off for the Predators once they found their groove.
Nashville’s wingers & defensemen were hounding well after loose pucks or looking for the next play. Passes weren’t used sparingly & even Luke Schenn skated the puck up on the rush in the first period from his defensive zone.
As the Predators looked to maintain possession they were also tying up any Blue Jacket skaters once the puck was on their sticks. Playmaking leaned more on Nashville once their wingers settled into the contest. Not many plays came off the wall as the game went on.
Columbus forward Kirill Marchenko found the back of the net first as Columbus’ offense got going in the second frame. Nashville was caught lacking on defense, however, Schenn collided with Stamkos seconds before the goal to open up a small window for Marchenko.
Then both teams found themselves playing 4-on-4 & O’Reilly worked his way into the offensive zone with Forsberg breaking in with him. Forsberg picked up the drop pass & ripped home his fourth goal of the season.
Following the lone goal in the second, Nashville struggled to maintain extended trips in the offensive zone in the second period & failed to find the back of the net despite having multiple looks to beat Tarasov.
As the Predators got the final frame going & had their first look in the offensive zone it was Cole Smith who buried a shot passed Tarasov to make it a 2-2 game.
Columbus fired back three minutes later as defenseman Zach Werenski beat goalie Scott Wedgewood as the puck bounced off his glove & in to make it 3-2.
The scoring didn’t stop in the first five minutes of the third stanza as rookie Zachary L’Heureux found Alexandre Carrier at the top of the blue line to even the score 3-3. L’Heureux’s assist on the play was his first career point in the NHL.
“He’s a puck hound. He’s a real slippery smart player who has a really good stick & good instincts for the game,” Brunette said. “The pucks he comes up with, kind of like O’Reilly, where sticks are on every puck & they’re stripping pucks. He hounded pucks & made a play to the point, went to the net & caused some commotion.”
ANOTHA ONE.
Things are getting 𝙨𝙥𝙞𝙘𝙮 in #Smashville
pic.twitter.com/JVFc8sDrBK
— Predators On FanDuel Sports Network (@FDSN_Predators) October 27, 2024
Nashville forced overtime after 15 more minutes of play. Wedgewood kept his team in it & ended up finishing the evening making 25 saves on 28 shots faced.
Up Next
The Predators head down to Tampa Bay on Monday as Steven Stamkos is set to make his return to face the Lightning. Stamkos played 16 seasons with the Lightning & was their captain for the last 10 years.
Stamkos won two Stanley Cups, two Maurice Richard Trophies, & appeared in seven All-Star Games. The No. 1 overall pick from the 2008 draft had 1,137 points in 1,082 games played with the Lightning.
Stay tuned for all the coverage right here on 102.5 The Game.
Follow Nick Kieser on Twitter/X: @KieserNick
Photos courtesy of the Nashville Predators
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