Winnipeg Jets' Franchise-Record Winning Streak Ends at 11 Games with Loss to Nashville Predators
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The Winnipeg Jets had their franchise-record winning streak end at 11 games with a 2-1 loss to the Nashville Predators at Bridgestone Arena on Thursday. The Jets, who had not lost since January 20, were unable to capitalize on their scoring opportunities, including a lengthy 5-on-3 power play in the second period. Juuse Saros made 23 saves for the Predators, while Eric Comrie made 28 saves for the Jets. Neal Pionk scored the lone goal for the Jets, who were playing their second game in as many days and third in just the last four nights.
The Predators took the lead for good 15 minutes into the game, with Filip Forsberg scoring on a wrist shot off a feed from Gustav Nyquist. The Jets drew even with just over 11 minutes gone in the period, with Pionk one-timing a pass from Rasmus Kupari to tie the game. However, Nashville would regain the lead on the power play at the 15:29 mark of the period, with Tommy Novak scoring on a tap-in from Justin Barron. The Jets were unable to find the back of the net in the second and third periods, despite out-attempting the Predators 24-16 in the first and outshooting them 14-6 in the second.
The difference in the game was special teams, where the Predators scored once on three chances, while the Jets were 0-for-4 on the man advantage. The Jets are now goalless in their last 15 chances with the man advantage over their last five plus games. "Special teams can be the difference in the game," said Jets defenceman Neal Pionk. "And certainly was tonight. That's not to say Coms didn't give us a chance cause he made a lot of really good saves on our penalty kill. Run into a good goalie, don't fire on special teams, and that's a bad recipe." The Jets will look to start a new win streak when they return home to host the Philadelphia Flyers on Saturday night, and they will need to improve their power play and special teams in order to be successful.
The Jets' loss also ended a six-game road winning streak, and they will need to regroup and refocus in order to get back on track. "Like every game whether we win or lose, reflect on it, learn from it, wash it, and get back after it on Saturday," said Pionk. The Jets will need to use their speed and agility to their advantage in order to create scoring opportunities and get back to their winning ways. Cole Perfetti played in his 200th career NHL game in the loss, and Haydn Fleury appeared in his first game since January as he replaced Colin Miller on the blueline.
The Predators, on the other hand, were able to end their two-game losing streak and get back on track. Juuse Saros was fantastic in goal, making several big saves to preserve the lead. The Predators were also able to capitalize on their scoring opportunities, including the power-play goal from Novak. The Predators will look to build on this win and continue to improve their play as they head into the final stretch of the season. Here are the match scores:
- Winnipeg Jets: 1
- Nashville Predators: 2
- Neal Pionk: 1 goal
- Filip Forsberg: 1 goal
- Tommy Novak: 1 goal
- Juuse Saros: 23 saves
- Eric Comrie: 28 saves
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