Good thing there are no back-to-backs in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
The Winnipeg Jets are now 1-5 in the second leg of back-to-backs after falling to the Predators 2-1 Thursday night in Nashville, ending their franchise-record 11-game win streak.
The Predators took the lead for good 15 minutes into the game and there was no scoring the rest of the way as the Preds hung on to end the Jets winning ways with Juuse Saros needing to make just 23 saves.
“There was some situations where we did miss the net,” said Jets head coach Scott Arniel. “But at the end of the day, we threw a lot of rubber at him. He made some stops. He made some big stops. Coms (Eric Comrie) was good too, again, we didn’t give him the run support that he needed.”
The Jets were playing their second game in as many days and third in just the last four nights. The loss also ended a six-game road winning streak.
Neal Pionk scored their lone goal, while Filip Forsberg and Tommy Novak replied for Nashville.
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 and didn’t take advantage of a 5-on-3 power play.
“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.
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“Run into a good goalie, don’t fire on special teams, and that’s a bad recipe.”
The Jets are now goalless in their last 15 chances with the man advantage over their last five plus games.
“I thought we were moving it well,” said forward Kyle Connor. “We did everything but score tonight. I liked our pace. We had an attack mindset.
“We just got bury on those.”
It was the Jets first loss in more than a month since January 20.
“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.
Cole Perfetti played in his 200th career NHL game in the loss.
Haydn Fleury appeared in his first game since January as he replaced Colin Miller on the blueline.
The home team drew first blood at the 4:26 mark of the first period. Off a faceoff win in the Winnipeg end, Gustav Nyquist slid a short pass to Forsberg and he ripped it high past an unsuspecting Comrie.
Winnipeg drew even with just over 11 minutes gone in the period. The Jets’ fourth line forced a turnover with a strong forecheck before Rasmus Kupari got the puck back to the point. Pionk one-timed the pass and his shot eluded Saros to tie the game with his ninth goal of the season.
Nashville would regain the lead on the power play at the 15:29 mark of the period. With Alex Iafallo in the penalty box, Adam Lowry was carrying the puck behind his net when he had it knocked off his stick by Luke Evangelista, who then got it in front to Justin Barron. He slid the puck over to a wide-open Novak for a tap-in to make it 2-1.
Despite Winnipeg out-attempting Nashville 24-16 in the first, the Preds actually outshot the Jets 14-6 as Winnipeg struggled to actually get the puck through to the net.
Neither team found the back of the net in the second period and for the second straight game the Jets had a lengthy 5-on-3 that they couldn’t capitalize on.
Colton Sissons took an interference penalty at the 15:11 mark and six seconds later, Nick Blankenburg sent the puck out of play to give the Jets a two-man advantage for 1:54. The Jets got three shots on goal during that time and hit the post as teams got back to even strength but Nashville maintained their lead going to the third period despite being outshot 14-6 in the second.
Comrie did his best to keep the Jets in the game in the third, making a couple of phenomenal saves on a Predators power play, but Winnipeg couldn’t find the goals to reward his efforts.
The Jets pulled Comrie for an extra attacker with just under two minutes remaining, but could not muster the equalizer as the horn sounded on the game and their win streak.
Both goalies were fantastic with Comrie turning aside 28 shots in defeat.
Winnipeg will look to start a new win streak when they return home to host the Philadelphia Flyers on Saturday night.