McDonagh scores in OT goal to give Predators a 5-4 victory over Coyotes
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Ryan McDonagh scored at 1:36 of overtime and the Nashville Predators rallied to beat the Arizona Coyotes 5-4 on Saturday night.
Ryan O’Reilly, Filip Forsberg, Roman Josi and Tommy Novak each had a goal and an assist, and Gustav Nyquist had two assists as Nashville snapped a three-game losing streak. Juuse Saros made 27 saves.
“I liked where we were at the whole game,” Predators coach Andrew Brunette said. “It’s hard getting down two in the third period. We don’t want to be there that often, but we were able to find that extra gear and feed off each other.”
Dylan Guenther, Travis Dermott, Nick Schmaltz and Juuso Valimaki scored and Connor Ingram made 32 saves for Arizona, which dropped its fifth straight. Jason Zucker had three assists and Clayton Keller had two.
“I’m not happy about our penalties,” Arizona coach Andre Tourigny said. “I’m not happy about our physicality. I’m not happy about our pressure on the puck carrier. I’m not happy about our swagger with the puck. It’s tough to win under those circumstances.”
In the overtime, Novak carried the puck behind the Arizona net and found McDonagh in the low slot, where he beat Ingram for the win.
“(Novak) beat his guy and drew two guys to him and slipped a pass through a couple of guys there,” said McDonagh, who also had an assist. “Heck of a play by him. Definitely happy to see it go in.”
The teams entered the third tied at 2, but Valimaki and Schmaltz scored early to give the Coyotes a two-goal lead 4:07 into the period. Novak pulled the Predators within one at 6 minutes of the third, and Forsberg tied it just before the midpoint of the period.
“We fought back, especially in the third,” Forsberg said. “I thought we were playing really good hockey for the most part. After their fourth goal there, I thought we were giving them everything we got.”
O’Reilly scored the game’s first goal with 7:32 remaining in the opening period. Parked just outside the Coyotes crease, O’Reilly took a pass from Forsberg and had his shot hit the near post, then Ingram’s shoulder before crossing the goal line.
The assist was the 300th of Forsberg’s career. He was Nashville’s lone representative at last weekend’s All-Star Game.
Dermott tied it just 42 seconds later when he beat Saros high to the glove side with a slap shot from the high slot.
Josi’s power-play goal with 8:21 remaining in the second gave Nashville a 2-1 lead.
Several penalties called in quick succession left the Predators on a 4-on-3 advantage. Tyson Barrie had the puck up high before finding Josi at the right faceoff dot, where he beat Ingram with a one-timer. Josi extended his point-scoring streak to three games.
Guenther sent to the teams to the second intermission tied 2-2 with a power-play goal of his own with 1:29 remaining in the second.
“Pretty disappointing feeling, especially the way we lost and gave that game away,” Valimaki said. “It was right in our hands. We just kind of shot ourselves in the foot.”
UP NEXT
Coyotes: At Philadelphia on Monday night.
Predators: Host New Jersey on Tuesday night.
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