NEW DELHI: The
Nashville Predators
dominated the
Minnesota Wild
with a convincing 6-1 victory, extending their winning streak to a season-high seven games.
Roman Josi
led the charge for the Predators with a goal and two assists, while goaltender
Juuse Saros
stood tall with 33 saves to secure his fifth consecutive win.
Nashville wasted no time asserting their dominance, as Yakov Trenin and Cole Smith scored just eight seconds apart in the first period to give the Predators an early lead.
Trenin capitalized on a slick backhanded pass from Josi, redirecting the puck into the net for his 10th goal of the season. Smith then intercepted a pass and buried a wrist shot past the
Wild
goaltender, capping off a flurry of three goals in less than a minute.
Minnesota briefly responded with a goal from Connor Dewar, but
Nashville
quickly regained control. Filip Forsberg extended the Predators' lead with a power-play goal in the second period, deflecting a shot past the Wild goaltender off a deflection.
In the third period, Nashville continued to pour on the pressure.
Josi
notched his 15th goal of the season with a sharp-angle shot, while Ryan O'Reilly added another goal shortly after with a wrist shot from the low slot. Ryan McDonagh put the finishing touches on the dominant performance with a one-timer off a pass from Luke Evangelista.
The Predators' offensive outburst, combined with Saros' stellar goaltending, proved too much for the Wild to handle. With this victory, Nashville solidified their position in the Western Conference playoff race, tying with the
Los Angeles Kings
for the two wild-card spots. On the other hand, the loss extends Minnesota's struggles in Nashville, as they have now lost 11 of their last 13 visits to Bridgestone Arena.
(Inputs from Reuters)
English (US) ·