NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Alexander Carrier scored at 2:12 of overtime to lift the Nashville Predators to a 4-3 victory over the Edmonton Oilers on Monday night.
Matt Duchesne, Matias Ekholm and Jordan Gross also scored for Nashville, which snapped a six-game losing streak. Youse Saros made 31 saves to help the Predators end an eight-game skid against the Oilers.
“We came out and played a really good hockey game,” Predators coach John Hynes said. “We deserved to win. We did it. I think that’s the most important thing when you come out of difficult stages, is that sometimes you build your game and you don’t get results.”
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins scored twice and Jesse Puljarvi also scored for Edmonton, which has lost three straight. Connor McDavid had two assists and Jack Campbell made 30 saves.
In overtime, Carrier took a long pass from Cody Glass and palmed it past Campbell for the win.
“They broke it … I don’t know why,” Carrier said. “I decided to stretch the ice and (Glass) made a good header. They were going for a change and we got a 2-on-1 score. (Duchesne) was on his one-timer, so I kind of looked at him and went away, shot and it went in.”
Nashville led three times in regulation and Edmonton tied it each time.
“Obviously, it looked a little bit crunched,” Edmonton coach Jay Woodcroft said. “We never got ahead of them, but I thought our team put up a great fight. In the end, it was decided in extra time.”
Ekholm scored the game’s first goal at 4:35 of the opening period when he converted a rebound off a shot by Tommy Novak.
Pulujjarvi tied the Oilers for the first time at 8:42 with a wrist shot from the right circle that slipped between Saros’ pads. The goal was just the second of the season for Pulujjarvi, who snapped a 25-game scoring drought.
Gross gave the Predators a 2-1 lead 2:57 into the second when his wrist shot from the left point through traffic beat Campbell on the short side. Edmonton tied it 1 1/2 minutes later on a power-play goal by Nugent-Hopkins.
Duchene scored on the power play with just eight minutes left in the second to give the Predators a 3-2 lead. Nashville hadn’t converted on the power play in six games, going 0-for-20 in those games.
Nugent-Hopkins’ second power play goal tied the game at 1:53 of the third.
Edmonton was 2-for-3 on the power play and has scored at least one goal on the power play in seven straight games, including two of six.
“We want our 5-on-5 play to continue to get better and better, but at the same time, our power play needs to score at the right time,” Nugent-Hopkins said. “I feel like we’ve been doing that lately, but that has to seep into our 5-on-5 game as well.”
LAYERS EXPANDED
Both McDavid and Tyson Barry had assists on Nugent-Hopkins’ second-period power play goal to extend their respective scoring streaks. Barry’s streak reached seven games, with 11 assists in the process. McDavid has scored at least one point in 13 straight games with 12 goals and 17 assists. His career-high hitting streak is 17 games, set between October 13 and November 20, 2021.
THE LEADER IS RETURNING
Carrier is back in the lineup after missing four games with an upper-body injury.
instant effect
Novak was recalled earlier Monday from the AHL’s Milwaukee to help out on offense. At the time of the recall, Novak led the Admirals with 26 points this season.
NEXT
Predators. in Chicago on Wednesday night.
Oilers: Wednesday night in Dallas.
___
AP NHL. www.apnews.com/hub/NHL and www.twitter.com/AP_Sports
Comments