Predators stay hot, knock off Islanders in shootout
Filip Forsberg scored the only tally of a shootout to give the Nashville Predators a 2-1 win over the visiting New York Islanders on Thursday.
The Predators are 14-7-0 in their last 21 games, and 6-1-0 in their last seven home games. Nashville is 12-2-0 in its last 14 games against the Islanders, dating back to the 2017-18 season.
Forsberg was the Preds' second shooter and beat David Rittich with a backhand. Emil Heineman had the last chance for the Islanders, but he failed on a wrist shot.
Juuse Saros stopped all three shots faced in the shootout and 30 of 31 shots faced during the game. Saros' biggest stop came with just 20 seconds left in overtime, as the goalie denied Matthew Schaefer on a breakaway chance.
Ryan O'Reilly's short-handed marker late in the second period was Nashville's only goal over 65 minutes of regulation and overtime play. It was O'Reilly's 13th goal of the season and his team-leading 37th point.
The overtime loss ended the Islanders' two-game win streak, though New York still has points in seven of its last nine games (5-2-2).
David Rittich stopped 26 of 27 shots, coming up short in the goaltending duel with Saros. Rittich's strong play in an expanded backup role has helped New York overcome injuries to Semyon Varlamov and Ilya Sorokin, who returned to action on Tuesday.
Simon Holmstrom had New York's only goal of the game, and hit the goalpost on a shootout chance.
After scoring nine goals against the New Jersey Devils on Tuesday, it took the Islanders until 12:14 of the second period to find the back of the net against Nashville. Scott Mayfield sent a fantastic pass across the front of the net to Holmstrom, who buried the chance for his 10th goal.
With 41 seconds left in the second period, the Predators equalized on a short-handed goal. O'Reilly beat two Islanders players into the slot to take Cole Smith's pass, and O'Reilly got just enough on the shot to send the puck trickling through Rittich's pads.
It was Nashville's third short-handed goal of the season, and the fifth short-handed goal conceded by the Islanders.
New York had a season-high 23 blocked shots in the game.