Seattle drops 2-1 decision in Nashville on penalties Predators are 5-2-1 in their last eight

In Nashville, Juuse Saros made 27 saves through extra time, and shut out the Seattle Kraken on penalties on Thursday night for a 2-1 win for the Predators. Kiefer Sherwood scored in the middle frame for Nashville, to tie the game, 1-1 where it stayed throughout regulation and the extra session.

“Yeah, all we can do is continue to play hard like we are and win hockey games, kind of let the chips fall where they may,” Nashville’s Tyson Barrie said. “We’re proud of the work we’re putting in here, and you never know where it can take you.”

The Predators improved to 36-26-8 off their fifth win in eight games.

“We’ve had great goaltending all year long,” Predators coach John Hynes said. “[Saros] is playing really well. … You need good goaltending to win. You look at any team that’s in the playoffs. It’s one of the most important positions in the game. When you have solid goaltending, it gives you a chance every night.”

Seattle took a 1-0 lead in the opening stanza on a goal from Daniel Sprong

“I think [Sprong], we have come chemistry playing with each other through the years,” Seattle’s Morgan Geekie said. “I know he’s got a great shot and is good in the offensive zone, good mind. I just try to give him pucks in good spots and use my skillset to kind of work off that and create opportunities for other guys.”

Matt Duchene and Philip Tomasino had strikes for the Predators in the skills portion of the evening’s festivities.

“You’ve got to expect to score on those,” Duchene said. “They’re huge, especially now, we’re getting in a lot of shootout games. Obviously some 5-on-5 scoring has been hard to come by at times for us, but those are huge plays. … [Saros] is always outstanding, so us as shooters have to pull our weight.”

The Kraken dropped to 39-24-8, and had a six-game road win streak snapped in the loss.

“It came down to the shootout,” Kraken coach Dave Hakstol said. “Unfortunately, we didn’t get the extra point, but we’ve got to turn the page quickly and look at a couple of areas to be a little bit better in, and pretty much expect a very similar game on Saturday afternoon. These two teams are going to be fighting hard for points on Saturday afternoon.”

Backroads GuitarsJoey Daccord made 23 saves  in the Seattle loss.