Juuse Saros showcased a stellar performance, making 31 saves to guide the Nashville Predators to a 4-1 victory over the Ottawa Senators on Monday. Ryan O’Reilly sealed the deal with a crucial goal in the third period.
O’Reilly extended the lead to 2-0 with just 5:22 left in the game. The goal came after Steven Stamkos’ shot was blocked, leading to a fortuitous bounce that O’Reilly capitalized on for his second goal of the season. Despite Ridly Greig scoring a power-play goal with 2:03 left to narrow the gap, Jonathan Marchessault and Cole Smith secured the win with empty-net goals in the final minute.
Marchessault broke the deadlock at 12:11 of the second period by expertly 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 at the six-minute mark of the second period, the goal was disallowed following a lengthy review due to Tim Stutzle’s goaltender interference.
The game saw a flurry of seven minor penalties in the first period, disrupting the flow for both teams. Despite the Senators’ struggles with the penalty kill in previous games, they managed to keep the Predators at bay with a 0-for-6 power-play performance.
Ottawa implemented lineup changes, welcoming back Tyler Kleven from injury and introducing Jordan Spence and Olle Lycksell for their Senators debut, while Drake Batherson remained sidelined for the third consecutive game.
In their upcoming matches, the Senators will face the Buffalo Sabres on Wednesday night, while the Predators will travel to take on the Toronto Maple Leafs on Tuesday night.
