Predators rally from 3-goal deficit, score 4 in 3rd to stun Stars
NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Filip Forsberg scored a short-handed goal 6:02 into the third period and the Nashville Predators rallied from a three-goal deficit to beat the Dallas Stars 5-3 on Sunday night.
Roman Josi scored twice, Calle Jarnkrok got the tying goal 4:40 into the third and Mike Fisher added an empty-netter with 1:38 left. James Neal and P.K. Subban each had two assists, and Nashville snapped a two-game skid.
The Predators can breathe a little easier during their upcoming five-day break after avoiding a second loss in two days on home ice. Embarrassed in a 7-4 defeat to Florida on Saturday, they came out feisty from the opening faceoff, only to give up the first three goals.
Jamie Benn had a goal and an assist, Patrick Sharp and Devin Shore had a goal apiece and Tyler Seguin had three assists. Dallas has lost five of six.
With the win, Nashville evened up the season series between the Central Division teams at 2-2. The Predators will visit Dallas on April 6.
The Predators came out very chippy against another team that likes to fight. The result was a pair of fights within the first minute and a third midway through the period. Dallas got a full two minutes of 5-on-3 off the second fight that also featuring penalties on Subban and forward Austin Watson just 45 seconds into the game.
The Stars only had Esa Lindell hit the post.
With the Predators racking up eight penalties in the period, the Stars got plenty more chances. Benn scored his 18th this season on the man advantage at 12:24 of the first with a wrist shot from the left circle. Dallas took advantage of its second 5-on-3 late in the period when Sharp beat goalie Pekka Rinne with a wrist shot from the left side at 15:46 for a 2-0 lead.
Shore gave Dallas a 3-0 lead with the Stars' third power-play goal at 12:02 with a snap shot from the right on a nice pass from Brett Ritchie.
Nashville finally got on the board at 15:25 when Josi scored his eighth this season on a wrist shot unassisted. Then Craig Smith had a chance off the ensuing faceoff, earning his first career penalty shot. But Kari Lehtonen, playing for the second straight night, easily stopped Smith's shot off his pad.
Josi scored his second of the game on a 5-on-3 45 seconds into the third period, but the Predators failed to score on the remaining 1:37 of the man advantage. It didn't matter as Jarnkrok skated up the right side and beat Lehtonen stick-side for his 11th, and Forsberg gave Nashville its first lead with his goal off a breakaway. Forsberg beat Lehtonen's glove with a wrist shot at 6:02.
The Predators are 12-1-2 this season when Forsberg scores.
NOTES: Subban reached 300 career points with his two assists. ... Before the game, Nashville put F Cody McLeod on injured reserve and activated F Harry Zolnierczyk. ... Josi now has a goal in three straight games for the first time in his career. ... Stars D Jamie Oleksiak played his 100th NHL career game. ... Seguin has 10 points (four goals, six assists) over his last 10 games. ... Predators F Viktor Arvidsson had an assist and now has nine points (six goals, three assists) in his last six games.