Defenseman Alex Carrier scored with 2:48 remaining in overtime, and the Nashville Predators snapped their season-high, six-game losing streak with Monday night’s 4-3 victory over the visiting Edmonton Oilers.
Grabbing a long stretch-pass, Carrier, back in the lineup after missing four games with an upper-body injury, raced in via a two-on-one and sent the puck over the glove of Edmonton goalie Jack Campbell (31 saves). Fellow defensemen Mattias Ekholm and Jordan Gross each had a goal, and Matt Duchene scored in his second straight contest for the Predators, who ended that 0-4-2 slide, and an eight-game losing streak to the Oilers.
Down 3-2, Edmonton tied the game just 1:51 into the third period on Ryan Nugent-Hopkins’ second power-play goal of the night. However, the Oilers couldn’t come through again to avoid matching their season high with a third consecutive loss (0-1-2) since winning 6-3 at Nashville last Tuesday.
Nashville, which totaled nine goals in its previous six games, opened the scoring just 4:35 into the contest. After the Predators won the puck in the neutral zone. Tommy Novak, recalled from Milwaukee of the AHL, sent a backhander at Campbell, who gave up a rebound that Ekholm buried.
However, the Oilers answered a little more than four minutes later. Jesse Puljujarvi simply threw the puck toward the net, and it found a way through the legs of Nashville netminder Juuse Saros (30 saves) to tie the contest.
The Predators regained the lead just 2:57 into the second period when Gross’ point shot appeared to deflect off Edmonton defenseman Tyson Barrie and in. But again, the Oilers, on the power play, equalized when a streaking Connor McDavid, who had two assists to extend his point streak to 13 games, dropped the puck for Nugent-Hopkins to push in from close range at 4:22 of the second.
Nashville, though, recaptured the lead by snapping a six-game power-play drought with 7:58 remaining in the middle frame. Duchene broke in, fended off an Oilers defender and put the puck over Campbell’s shoulder.
–Field Level Media
