Ryan Johansen scored the game-winning goal in the sixth round of the shootout Saturday night as the Nashville Predators ran their home winning streak to five games with a 2-1 victory over the New Jersey Devils.
Johansen gave Nashville the lead in the shootout when he slowly skated in the slot, stopped for a split second and lifted a shot over Keith Kinkaid's left pad for his 13th career shootout goal.
Backup goaltender Juuse Saros made Johansen's tally stand up by making a stick save on John Quenneville. Saros allowed a goal to Kyle Palmieri in the first round but recorded stops on Drew Stafford, Brian Boyle and Nico Hischier.
Ryan Ellis scored the other shootout goal by getting a shot to trickle under Kinkaid's pads in the second round. Before allowing the game-winner, Kinkaid stopped Kyle Turris, Calle Jarnkrok, Kevin Fiala and Craig Smith.
Boyle sent the game to overtime by scoring on a rebound with 91 seconds remaining in regulation after the Devils pulled Kinkaid for the extra attacker. It was the fifth time the Devils scored with the extra attacker this season.
Frederick Gaudreau scored late in the first period for the Predators, who are 18-1 when leading after two periods.
Saros made 33 saves, including four in overtime. He also made saves on Palmieri and Hischier shortly after Boyle tied the game.
Kinkaid made 27 saves, but the Devils went 0-for-4 on the power play and fell to 3-5-6 in their last 14 games.
New Jersey also played with Taylor Hall, who sat out a second straight game with a lower-body injury.
Nashville took a 1-0 lead with 1:17 left in the first period when Mattias Ekholm slid the puck from center ice to Miikka Salomaki. Salomaki's hard wrist shot from above the right circle caromed off Kinkaid's left pad, and Gaudreau simply sped by Jesper Bratt and from the high slot put the rebound into the net.
Boyle scored after seizing the rebound in the high slot of Marcus Johansson's shot. His ninth goal sent New Jersey to overtime for the second time in 24 hours.
--Field Level Media
New Jersey | Nashville | |
Brian Boyle 1 | Points | Frederick Gaudreau 1 |
Brian Boyle 1 | Goals | Frederick Gaudreau 1 |
Jesper Bratt 1 | Assists | Mattias Ekholm 1 |
N/A | Power Play Goals | N/A |
N/A | Short Handed Goals | N/A |
Keith Kinkaid .964 | Save Percentage | Juuse Saros .971 |
Keith Kinkaid 27 | Saves | Juuse Saros 33 |
Team | Shots | Goals | Power Play | Penalty Kill | Penalty Mins | Face Offs Won |
New Jersey | 34 | 1 | 0-4 | 2-2 | 4 | 35 |
Nashville | 28 | 2 | 0-2 | 4-4 | 8 | 38 |