The Nashville Predators returned from Ottawa to host the Florida Panthers on Saturday evening for Hockey Fights Cancer Night. The home team saw the return of former Pred, and current Panthers’ Head Coach, Andrew Brunette and former Pred Patric Hornqvist.
The Predators played their first-ever NHL game against the Panthers on Oct. 10, 1998, in front of a sold-out crowd. On Oct. 13, 1998, Brunette recorded the first-ever Predators goal against Carolina. In the 2005 NHL Draft, Hornqvist was selected in the seventh round by Nashville where he would go on to record 216 points (106g-110a) in 363 games from 2008-2014.
It’s not uncommon to see either of these teams fall behind early and make a comeback into the game, but the Panthers got on the board first with 16:17 left in the first. With a delayed penalty, Gustav Forsling and Brandon Montour pass back-and-forth once before Montour finds Carter Verhaeghe wide open.
Forsberg had two great scoring opportunities early in the second period. Forsberg first stole the puck at the offensive blue line to create a breakaway before being denied. Right after the face-off, he launched a shot toward the net. Knight continued to step up when needed for his team.
With 4:44 left in the second frame, Anton Lundell finds the top shelf to push a 2-1 lead.
With 2:08 left, Juuse Saros is pulled for the Preds to take a 6-on-5 advantage. After a great sequence of scoring chances, the puck was finally cleared. However, Jonathan Huberdeau found the first empty net goal. He currently leads the League with 77 assists, and his 104 points pace the Panthers and rank second among all NHLers.
After a timeout, the Preds choose to pull Saros once again. Just seconds later, Forsling earned his second point of the night with an empty net goal. The Panthers leave Nashville with a 4-1 victory.
The Predators are still looking to clinch their ticket into the Stanley Cup Playoffs. They will travel to Pittsburgh to face the Penguins in a midday matchup on Sunday.
