Filip Forsberg and Michael McCarron scored during a three-goal third period for the Nashville Predators, who completed a sweep of their five-game road stretch with Sunday night’s 4-2 victory over the Anaheim Ducks.
Immediately from a faceoff win, Forsberg got the puck, half-circled, then unleashed a snap shot that found the top-right corner of the net to break a 1-1 tie just 3:26 into the third.
Fourth-liner McCarron followed with a rebound tally at 8:43 into the final frame, which proved important as Anaheim got within a goal via Brett Leason’s score with the goaltender pulled with 2:24 left on the scoreboard.
However, Gustav Nyquist added an empty-netter 22 seconds later to help the Predators, who hold the final wild-card spot in the Western Conference, complete a perfect trip that followed a 1-4-1 rut.
Isac Lundestrom also scored for Anaheim, which is mired in a 2-5-1 stretch. Lukas Dostal made 25 saves one night after teammate John Gibson stopped a season-high 48 in the Ducks’ 3-2 shootout loss at rival Los Angeles.
Anaheim, looking for a three-game, season-series sweep of the Predators, played without star Troy Terry (upper-body injury). He entered Sunday tied for Anaheim’s lead with 45 points but was dinged late in Saturday’s loss.
Following a pedestrian-like first period where the teams combined for just 15 shots on goal, it was Nashville that struck first one minute into the second.
Via a faceoff win, the puck made its way to star defenseman Roman Josi, whose shot from the point went through some modest slot traffic and past Dostal for his 12th goal.
Anaheim, though, equalized with 8:05 remaining in the middle frame. In transition, the Ducks’ Max Jones backhanded the puck into the middle of the ice for Lundestrom to corral then convert through the legs of Predators netminder Kevin Lankinen (29 saves).
Forsberg leads Nashville with 28 goals and has six in his last seven games against the Ducks.
–Field Level Media
