by The Nashville Predators led three times but fell 5-4 to the Pittsburgh Penguins in overtime at Bridgestone Arena on Thursday.
Sidney Crosby scored a goal and three assists for the Penguins, ending his 10-game goal drought. Filip Forsberg (2 assists) and Brady Skjei (1 goal, 1 assist) led the Predators with two points each.
With the overtime loss, Nashville moves to 9-17-7 on the season.
How the Predators lined up against Pittsburgh
Forsberg-Stamkos-Marchessault
L’Heureux-O’Reilly-Nyquist
Jankowski Novak Evangelista
Smith-McCarron-Sissons
Skjei-Blankenburg
Lauzon Wilsby
Del Gaizo-Schenn
Saros
Annunas
Extra: Barron, Pärssinen
IR: Josi
Jeremy Lauzon was activated from injured reserve and returned to the lineup after missing the last 10 games with a lower-body injury. Roman Josi, previously listed as day-to-day with a lower-body injury, has been placed on IR. Marc Del Gaizo, who was placed on waivers on Wednesday, cleared waivers and suited up for the Predators against Pittsburgh.
Justin Barron, acquired Wednesday night in a trade that sent Alexandre Carrier to the Montreal Canadiens, arrived in Nashville late Thursday afternoon and did not play for the Predators in Thursday’s game.
Game summary
The Predators opened the scoring when Jonathan Marchessault finished off a shot from Filip Forsberg on the rush at 3:51 of the first period. After Marchessault’s goal gave the Predators a 1-0 lead, Bryan Rust tied the game for Pittsburgh at 16:21 with a backhand shot.
Luke Evangelista reacted quickly, knocking in the rebound of a Tommy Novak shot for an easy score on the power play, while Anthony Beauvillier sat for the interference.
Just over three minutes into the second period, when the Penguins received a deferred penalty, Steven Stamkos sank a shot from the left circle to extend the Predators’ lead to 3-1. However, the Penguins scored two goals in just over a minute, making it three each. Crosby deflected a shot from Erik Karlsson to make it 3-2, and Rickard Rakell was credited with a goal that bounced off Lauzon’s leg.
Brady Skjei broke the tie at 7:44 of the third period, scoring with a wrist shot from the right circle off Ryan O’Reilly’s cross-ice pass to cap a 3-on-1 rush. However, Karlsson tied the Penguins at 11:36 with a wrist shot through traffic.
Rust scored with a wrist shot from the high slot off a pass from Evgeni Malkin at 1:07 of overtime, making the final score 5-4.
Key insights and notes
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Thursday marked the first time this season that Nashville’s three big offseason free agent signings – Stamkos, Marchessault and Skjei – all scored in the same game.
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With a goal in the first period, Marchessault extended his point streak to five games. He scored seven points (4 goals, 3 assists) during this period.
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Luke Schenn’s assist on Marchessault’s goal in the first period was his 200th career NHL point.
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The Predators are now 1-7 in overtime games this season, while the Penguins are 6-5.
Next
The Predators continue their four-game home series on Saturday when they host the Los Angeles Kings at Bridgestone Arena. Puck drops at 12:30 p.m. CT and the game will be broadcast regionally on FanDuel Sports Network South and on NHL Network.
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