The Nashville Predators nabbed a vital two points with a 5-3 win over the visiting Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday night.
Luke Evangelista scored on a highlight-reel play in the third period to give the Predators a 3-2 lead, twisting past an overcommitted Maple Leafs defenseman Morgan Rielly and shoveling the puck over the shoulder of goaltender Joseph Woll before his own momentum brought him down to the ice.
Steven Stamkos bagged a goal and assist for the home team, while Brady Skjei chipped in with two helpers. Nashville’s Juuse Saros stopped 19 of 22 shots.
Bobby McMann tallied two points for Toronto with a goal and an assists and Woll turned away 29 of 32 shots.
The Leafs opened the scoring 1:32 into the game. McMann caught Predators defenseman Nick Perbix cheating toward the slot on an odd-man rush, then fed Nicolas Roy in front of the net, who had no trouble tipping it over Saros’ glove.
Nashville found its equalizer early in the second period. Erik Haula caught a piece of Roman Josi’s low-streaking one-timer from the point on the power play. Haula pulled off the deft redirect all with his back turned toward the goal.
John Tavares proceeded to snap a seven-game goalless streak with something more of an inadvertent deflection. Matias Maccelli’s soft flick from the point tipped off Tavares’ skate and then Josi’s before sliding past a befuddled Saros. This game marked Maccelli’s first since he was made a healthy scratch in November — the primary assist marked his first point since Nov. 22.
The Predators knotted it at two apiece with 34 seconds remaining in the second period. Woll narrowly beat Filip Forsberg to a long breakaway pass, but the clearing attempt went only as far as Ryan O’Reilly at the blue line. O’Reilly fed an on-rushing Adam Wilsby for his first of the year and the second of his 47-game NHL career.
After Evangelista put the Predators ahead 3-1 with 9:18 left in the third period, Stamkos bagged his empty-netter off a neutral-zone turnover 40 seconds. McMann then brought the deficit back within one off a difficult wrist shot. Cole Smith replied with another empty-netter with less than 10 seconds remaining for the two-goal advantage.
Nashville whiffed on consecutive open-net opportunities in close succession in the third. Josi received a slick pass through the slot, only to slip it through the legs of Woll and wide of the goal. O’Reilly managed only to hit the side of the net off a Troy Stecher blocked shot with Woll sliding in the wrong direction.
The Leafs are at the bottom of the Atlantic Division, having now lost four of their last five.
–Field Level Media
