The Nashville Predators welcomed in Barry Trotz’s Washington Capitals on Tuesday night. The Preds would start the game in a 2-0 hole when they gave up a goal to Jason Chimera (14) during the first period, and another goal to Tom Wilson (5) at 4:55 of the second period. At 12:50, the Capitals were called for too many men on the ice. The Preds were able to respond with a power-play goal from Filip Forsberg at 14:42.
It would all come down to the third period. In the final period of play, there were five goals between the two teams. Washington scored the first two goals with Justin Williams (17) and Marcus Johansson (14). The Preds would be looking at a 4-1 deficit, but were able to respond to get within one goal with Roman Josi scoring his 11th goal of the season at 9:49 and Filip Forsberg scoring his second of the night at 12:00.
The Preds would pull Pekka Rinne for the the extra skater but Alex Ovechkin (31) gave the Capitals the 5-3 in Nashville.
Nashville looks to rebound on the road against the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Keys to Watch
Four Straight on the Road
Before the All-Star break, the Nashville Predators went with four straight wins. The break occurred and they have struggled. Tonight, the Preds look to get back on track against one of the best of the Eastern Conference. The Predators have faired well on the road, as of recent, and will look to get back on their winning ways in Florida.
Forsberg Heating Up
In the last two games, Filip Forsberg has been back to the player fans saw last year. With three goals and two assists over the past two games, the Ostervala, Sweden native has been able to get scoring chances, but more importantly, he has been able to finish. This is something the Nashville Predators have needed desperately. Also, Forsberg is seeing more time-on-ice, netting 19:32 TOI against Washington. The Preds need Forsberg to keep doing what he is doing.
Strong Defensive Effort
We all know the ability of the Tampa Bay Lightning on the offensive end of the ice. With players such as Steven Stamkos and Nikita Kucherov, the Lightning know how to score. One of the interesting points of their team is a much improved defensive group. Victor Hedman and Anton Stralman hold down the blue line. Ben Bishop has been very good in net with a 2.07 goals-against average and .924 save percentage. The Preds will need to take advantage of every opportunity they can offensively.
The Nashville Predators will look to begin their annual father trip with a win in Florida. Be sure to catch all of the action on Fox Sports-Tennessee or you can listen live on 102.5 The Game. Puck drops at 6:30 pm!
