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Penguins vs Predators recap: Poisoned Preds puke on Pens

The Penguins give up 4 second period goals and drop a 5-1 game in Nashville.

By Hooks Orpik
Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports

Poison!

Pittsburgh catches a break, thanks to a team-wide bout with food poisoning, Nashville has to make mass lineup changes, notably 5 AHL lineup additions, including 21-year old goalie Juuse Saros who only had 1 NHL game under his belt before tonight.

1st period

Patric Hornqvist out-races Mattias Ekholm to an open puck and pokes the puck in for Scott Wilson who's all alone on Saros. Despite the rolling puck, Wilson is able to convert 5-hole for his second goal of the season.

The lead wouldn't last long, Trevor Daley goes to the penalty box for a delay of game and it looks like a P.K. Subban point shot hits Ian Cole but bounces right to Viktor Arvidsson who tosses the puck into the open net before Brian Dumoulin can tie up his stick to tie the game at 1-1.

That's it for the scoring this period

2nd period

Nashville strikes first, with arguably the first really "bad" goal allowed by Marc-Andre Fleury all season. Kevin Fiala throws a shot short-side that leaks through Fleury to give the Preds a 2-1 lead on one the Pens netminder would definitely like back.

The bad times keep coming when the Pens offer almost no resistance in the neutral zone and allow a long pass to turn into a 2-on-1 that Calle Jarnkrok shoots past Fleury to make it 3-1.

4-1 bad guys when Filip Forsberg blows by Dumoulin and wrists one on net, Fleury makes the save but kicks the rebound right to Fiala who puts it in from his skate to his stick.

Last minute of the period the (s)hits continue, Arvidsson drives to the net past Olli Maatta and Mike Riberio tosses him a perfect centering pass to chip past Fleury. 5-1.

Not a good time for a first time.

3rd period

Pens mercifully keep Fleury on the bench and Mike Condon makes his first game appearance in a Penguins jersey.

Luckily, or not, nothing much happens. Pens go down fairly easily.

Some Thoughts

  • Career NHL game 1,300 for Matt Cullen tonight. That's 15.8 seasons if you play all 82, by the way. Next game he ties Sergei Gonchar for 58th place all-time if you were curious.
  • After 5 games of no scores for the vaunted HBK line to start the season, the Pens pulled the plug on them. And wisely so, for now. No reason Evgeni Malkin shouldn't be playing with the most skilled RW on the team with Crosby out.
  • It's weird to see Subban as a member of the Preds. Still don't know what the hell Montreal was thinking.
  • Nashville's team was decimated by food poisoning and rips off a 4 goal second period, just days after the Pens were down to 4-dmen and heavily out of their league on paper against the Sharks. When you think you know in the NHL, you don't know.
  • Fleury gave up 5 goals in 2 periods, but just closing eyes it's easy to see literally each defenseman making a major mistake on all of those goals against. Tough times for all.
  • Pittsburgh just sucked in the neutral zone. Nashville had way too much room to do whatever they wanted and they were able to carry a lot of speed into the Pens zone, and they made it count by putting the biscuit in the basket. Adjustments needed for sure.

For the first time since the beginning of the season, Pittsburgh gets 2 days off. Well needed at this point.

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