Late Penalties Cost Nashville Predators in 3-0 Loss to Winnipeg Jets

The Nashville Predators lost their second straight game coming out of the holiday break, falling 3-0 to the Winnipeg Jets Monday at Canada Life Centre.

Predators goaltender Juuse Saros, who was pulled in the second period of Saturday’s loss to the St. Louis Blues, responded with tremendous effort against the Jets, turning aside 25 shots and coming up with several big saves to keep the game scoreless for nearly 40 minutes.

But the strong play from their goaltender wasn’t enough to bail the Predators out for their costly mistakes in the third period and their lack of offensive production, resulting in their sixth shutout loss of the season and first to Jets goalie Connor Hellebuyck.

With the loss, the Predators fall to 3-12-4 on the road and 11-19-7 on the season.

How the Predators lined up vs. Winnipeg

Forsberg-Stamkos-Marchessault
L’Heureux-O’Reilly-Nyquist
Jankowski- Novak-Evangelista
McCarron-Sissons-Hinostroza

Lauzon-Josi
Skjei-Blankenburg
Wilsby-Schenn

Saros
Annunen

Extra: Barron
IR: Smith

Vinnie Hinostroza, who was recalled Saturday from the AHL’s Milwaukee Admirals, made his Predators debut on the fourth line with Colton Sissons and Michael McCarron.

Related: Nashville Predators Recall Vinnie Hinostroza from AHL Milwaukee

Game Summary

The Predators looked more solid defensively to start this one, recovering well from a Friday loss to the Blues that saw them allow two goals on the first two shots of the game. Nashville kept the game scoreless through the first 20 minutes, with shots even at nine apiece at the first intermission. Both teams also went 0-for-1 on the power play in an evenly matched first period.

The game remained equally balanced through much of the middle frame as well until Dylan DeMelo finally broke the ice for Winnipeg at 17:18 of the second period. Morgan Barron (brother of Predators defenseman Justin Barron, who was a healthy scratch against the Jets) sent a nice pass across the seam to DeMelo, who went bar down to beat Saros and put Winnipeg on top, 1-0.

While the Predators were in the middle of killing Jeremy Lauzon’s third penalty of the game (hooking) midway through the third period, they were called for having too many men on the ice. When they made a line change after clearing the puck on the penalty kill, five players came on the ice instead of four.

It was the Predators’ eighth bench minor penalty this season, tying the Washington Capitals and the Colorado Avalanche for the most in the NHL. It put them in a 5-on-3 penalty kill situation with 6:31 remaining in the game. The Jets capitalized immediately, as Gabe Vilardi scored two quick power play goals just over a minute apart for the 3-0 final.

Key Takeaways & Notes

Entering the game, Winnipeg had the league’s best power play (32.2%) while Nashville had the league’s best penalty kill (86.9%). The Jets’ two power-play goals came 1:02 apart in the third period.
Predators forward Jonathan Marchessault saw his career-best point streak come to an end at eight games. He had 13 points (8 goals, 5 assists) in that span.
Marchessault’s linemate, Filip Forsberg, also saw his point streak six games. He leads the Predators in points (30) and assists (21), while Marchessault leads the team in goals (13).

Up Next

The Predators continue their six-game road trip Tuesday with a visit to the Minnesota Wild. The puck drops at 7 p.m. CT, and the game will be broadcast regionally on FanDuel Sports Network South and on ESPN+ for out-of-market customers in the United States.

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