Winnipeg Jets vs. Nashville Predators Pick & Prediction MARCH 18th 2023
Ryan Davis
The Winnipeg Jets aim to apply the brakes on their pronounced slide when they visit the Nashville Predators on Saturday afternoon.
The Jets (38-28-3, 79 points) have lost two straight and 11 of their last 15 games (4-9-2) to plummet into fourth place in the Central Division, four points ahead of the Predators (34-25-7, 75 points). The teams split a pair of 2-1 decisions earlier in the season.
Winnipeg, which is clinging to the second wild card in the Western Conference, was unable to solve Jeremy Swayman and the Boston Bruins in a 3-0 setback on Thursday night. The Jets were shut out for the fourth time this season, much to the chagrin of coach Rick Bowness.
"A couple of goal posts, we missed a couple tap-ins around the net ... yeah, it could've (gone either way)," Bowness said. "But we have to put those pucks in the back of the net. The opportunities were there. Their goalie was really good. We didn't capitalize on the chances they gave us."
Those chances came in the form of five power plays in which Winnipeg generated 10 of its 36 shots overall.
"It's really disappointing; we need these points," Jets forward Adam Lowry said. "They're so critical right now, and we're almost scoreboard watching every night right now. So, it would have been nice to see a few of those go in. I thought for the most part we played a really solid game, and obviously you're playing the best team in the league."
Connor Hellebuyck, who made 21 saves on Thursday, has turned aside 64 of 67 shots in two games versus Nashville this season.
Captain Roman Josi recorded an assist in the Predators' 2-1 win over the Jets on Jan. 24 and scored his team's lone goal in a 2-1 loss to the Chicago Blackhawks on Thursday.
"Obviously it's a disappointing loss," Josi said after seeing the team's three-game winning streak come to a halt. "Every point is huge right now. But we have a massive game coming up Saturday. It's a quick turnaround. We've got to look at this (game) tonight, but after that, we've got to forget about it and look forward to Saturday."
Tommy Novak notched an assist on Josi's goal to extend his point streak to four games (four goals, two assists). He also had an assist in his team's 2-1 victory over the Jets on Jan. 24.
Matt Duchene also had an assist on Josi's goal to boost his point total to 31 (13 goals, 18 assists) in his last 38 games.
Nashville coach John Hynes cautioned his team not to get too down following Thursday's loss.
"They've got to understand that in this league you can't get too low because there's another one coming ... Saturday," he said. "So let's not be frustrated with it. Let's take some lessons out of it as a group, get some rest and make sure our minds are right and we're getting ready to go again."
--Field Level Media
Winnipeg Jets vs. Nashville Predators Recap MAR 18TH 2023
Neal Pionk scored 55 seconds into overtime to give the visiting Winnipeg Jets a 3-2 win against the Nashville Predators on Saturday.
Pionk converted a pass from Pierre-Luc Dubois for his ninth goal of the season as the Jets rallied from 1-0 and 2-1 deficits for the win.
Nikolaj Ehlers and Adam Lowry also scored for the Jets, who improved to 9-2 in overtime this season. Connor Hellebuyck made 18 saves and Josh Morrissey had two assists.
The Jets, who entered the day holding the second wild card entry in the Stanley Cup Playoffs from the Western Conference, had lost two straight and 11 of 15.
Cody Glass and Luke Evangelista scored for the Predators, who have lost two straight after winning three in a row and after the game were tied for third in the Western Conference wild card race with the Calgary Flames, who host the Dallas Stars later Saturday night.
Juuse Saros made 31 saves in net for Nashville.
Predators defenseman Roman Josi left the game in the first period and did not return. No announcement was made regarding his injury. After the game, the team said Josi is still being evaluated and they anticipate an update to be available Sunday.
Glass gave the Predators a 1-0 lead at 5:26 of the first period. Cal Foote's shot attempt was deflected by Philip Tomasino and Hellebuyck made the initial save, but Glass was crashing the net and knocked in the rebound.
Ehlers tied the score at 6:17 of the third period, entering the zone, skating into the left circle, and ripping a slap shot over Saros's left shoulder to make it 1-1.
Evangelista put the Predators back on top just 34 seconds later, finishing off a pretty passing sequence when he scored from the slot off a centering feed from Tommy Novak.
Lowry tied the score 2-2 at 10:15. The Jets center started the play by winning a face-off when he fell to his knees and pushed the puck back to Morrissey at the point. Morrissey's shot was saved by Saros, but Lowry was there to put the rebound home.
--Field Level Media
- NHL
