Filip Forsberg and the Nashville Predators earned their third straight win on Friday (Dec. 15), defeating the Carolina Hurricanes in a 6-5 overtime thriller.
It was a high-scoring, back-and-forth affair that saw a flurry of six goals in a span of 6:31 in the second period, but Forsberg’s OT heroics were once again the highlight for the Predators, who have won 12 of their last 15 and improved to 17-13-0 on the season.
Mr. Overtime
Forsberg was the overtime hero for the second time in as many games for Nashville. His OT winner against the Philadelphia Flyers on Tuesday was the 10th of his career, moving him past David Legwand for sole possession of the franchise’s all-time overtime goals record.
Related: Forsberg Climbs in Record Books as Predators Climb in Standings
Forsberg has three overtime goals this season alone, and he has wasted no time in putting games away for the Predators – who, incidentally, are 5-0-0 in games requiring overtime this season. The following are the times of Forsberg’s OT winners in 2023-34:
- 0:14 (Nov. 28 vs. Pittsburgh)
- 0:18 (Dec. 12 vs. Philadelphia)
- 0:33 (Dec. 15 at Carolina)
Forsberg is still on a hot streak and now has 16 points (nine goals, seven assists) in his last 13 outings. He leads the Predators in points (35), goals (16), assists (19), power-play assists (11) and shots on goal (116).
Special Teams Galore
The Hurricanes won the special teams battle early, going 2-for-2 on their first two power play opportunities against a Predators penalty kill that had gone 19-for-20 over the previous five games.
The Predators got one back in the second period, though, courtesy of Ryan O’Reilly. With Seth Jarvis in the box for goaltender interference, O’Reilly found the back of the net for Nashville on the power play to bring the score within one. It was O’Reilly’s eighth goal on the man advantage, tied for the second-most among NHL players behind Brock Boeser’s nine with Vancouver. Forsberg also added a helper on O’Reilly’s goal, extending his team lead in power-play assists to 11.
Juuso Pärssinen got the Preds on the board first against Carolina on what may have been the softest shot he’ll score on this year. With his back to the net, he tossed a backhander that just barely dribbled over the goal line before Brett Pesce had a chance to swat it away to give Nashville an early 1-0 lead just over five minutes into the first period. Pärssinen…
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