Juuse Saros showcased his skills with 31 saves to guide the Nashville Predators to a 4-1 victory against the Ottawa Senators on Monday. Ryan O’Reilly’s goal in the third period proved to be the game-winner, extending the lead to 2-0 with just 5:22 left in the game. Steven Stamkos’ shot was blocked, leading to a fortunate bounce for O’Reilly, who netted his second goal of the season.
Ridly Greig managed to narrow the gap with a power-play goal at the 2:03 mark, but late empty-net goals from Jonathan Marchessault and Cole Smith in the final minute sealed the win for the Predators. Marchessault broke the deadlock at 12:11 of the second period by slipping the puck past Linus Ullmark, who made 22 saves, taking advantage of a turnover near the blue line.
Although Jake Sanderson initially appeared to score for the Senators in the second period, the goal was disallowed after a lengthy review due to goaltender interference from Tim Stutzle. The game saw a flurry of minor penalties in the first period, disrupting the flow for both teams.
Despite the Senators’ struggles with penalty kills in previous games, they managed to keep the Predators’ power play at bay, going 0 for 6. Ottawa made changes to their lineup, welcoming back Tyler Kleven from injury and introducing Jordan Spence and Olle Lycksell for their Senators debuts. Drake Batherson was absent for his third consecutive game.
Next up, the Senators will face the Buffalo Sabres on Wednesday night, while the Predators will take on the Toronto Maple Leafs on Tuesday night.
