Roman Josi scored once and had two assists – all during a streak of five consecutive Nashville goals – as the host Predators defeated the Florida Panthers 7-3 on Saturday.
Josi leads Nashville with 47 points this season.
Nashville also got two goals from Thomas Novak and one each from Matt Duchene, Ryan Johansen, Colton Sissons and Yakov Trenin (empty-netter). Ryan McDonagh added a game-high three assists. It was McDonagh’s first three-point game since Dec. 5, 2021.
Backup goalie Kevin Lankinen made 30 saves to improve his record to 6-5-1.
Nick Cousins — who played the past two seasons for Nashville — scored for the Panthers, along with Matthew Tkachuk and Sam Reinhart. It was the 28th goal of the season for Tkachuk, who leads Florida with 76 points.
But the Panthers lost defenseman Radko Gudas in the second period due to an injury to his right wrist.
Panthers goalie Sergei Bobrovsky, who was pulled with 7:40 expired in the second period, made seven stops and allowed four goals. Backup goalie Spencer Knight, playing just his second game since Jan. 8, made 12 stops on 14 shots.
Nashville opened the scoring with just 2:36 expired as Novak fired the puck from the right circle, beating Bobrovsky to the near post.
The Panthers tied the score five-plus minutes later as Cousins pounced on a turnover and fired a shot from between the circles.
Florida took a 2-1 lead with 12:09 gone in the first as Brandon Montour’s shot was deflected in by Tkachuk.
Nashville concluded a wild first period by getting the next two goals. First, with 7:04 left in the first, Duchene followed his own shot, ripping the puck top-shelf past Bobrovsky. Then, with 4:59 remaining, Johansen scored on a power-play deflection off a Josi shot.
With 12:20 left in the second, the Predators made it three straight goals as Sissons scored on a breakaway backhander lifted over Bobrovsky, who was pulled after allowing that goal.
Nashville capped the second-period scoring on Josi’s blast from the left circle with 3:37 left in the second, beating Knight.
Novak jammed the puck in with 11:02 left in the third as his power-play goal gave Nashville a 6-2 lead.
–Field Level Media
Reinhart scored on a deflection 50 seconds later with the man-advantage, cutting Florida’s deficit to 6-3, but it wasn’t enough.
