NHL

Pittsburgh Penguins at Nashville Predators

· National Hockey League
Final
2 - 3

Forsberg scores in OT, Predators beat Penguins 3-2 for 6th straight win

Filip Forsberg's OT goal lifts Predators past Penguins

Michael McCarron scored twice and Juuse Saros made 29 saves for Nashville.

“It definitely brings confidence and a good feeling when you’re winning,” Nashville coach Andrew Brunette said. “It’s amazing in this game and in any sport how that kind of happens.”

Evgeni Malkin and Bryan Rust scored and Tristan Jarry made 23 saves for the Penguins, who have lost three of four.

Forsberg skated the length of the ice and beat Jarry on the glove side for the game-winner. As Forsberg crossed the blue line, Nashville’s Ryan O’Reilly collided with Pittsburgh captain Sidney Crosby, creating space for Forsberg to skate into the slot.

“I think (O’Reilly) was just kind of standing there and everybody wanted his ice and everyone ran into each other,” Forsberg said. “(It created) a lot of room. It was good.”

Pittsburgh coach Mike Sullivan was surprised that no penalty was assessed on the play.

“It’s a game-changing moment, right?” he said.

McCarron opened the scoring midway through the first period when he redirected Tyson Barrie’s shot from the right point.

Gustav Nyquist picked up an assist on McCarron’s goal, extending his point-scoring streak to nine games. He has two goals and nine assists over that stretch.

McCarron struck again with 1:22 left in the first. On a delayed penalty against the Penguins, McCarron found a rebound in the low slot and fired it just under the crossbar over Jarry’s right shoulder.

“It was special, it was cool tonight,” McCarron said. “Those games don’t come around often, and when they do, it definitely feels good. It feels even better when the boys win.”

The Penguins’ power play has come up empty in their last eight games, going 0-for-20 over that span.

Malkin beat Saros in the second period with a wrist shot from the lower part of the left circle.

Rust tied the game at 2:26 of the third, when his shot from the right side deflected off Nashville defenseman Jeremy Lauzon.

Rust returned to the Pittsburgh lineup after missing three games with a lower-body injury.

“Always nice to score goals, but it’s always nice to get on the scoresheet when you’ve been out for a little while,” Rust said. “It’s something that gives a little bit of confidence and I hope I can keep my game going in the right direction.”

UP NEXT

Penguins: Visit Tampa Bay on Thursday.

Predators: Host Minnesota on Thursday.

Regular Season Series

NSH leads series 1-0

Scoring Summary

Goal 1st Period 10:20 Michael McCarron Goal (2) Deflected, assists: Tyson Barrie (9), Gustav Nyquist (13)
Goal 1st Period 18:38 Michael McCarron Goal (3) Wrist Shot, assists: Philip Tomasino (6), Filip Forsberg (15)
Goal 2nd Period 5:49 Evgeni Malkin Goal (10) Wrist Shot, assists: Reilly Smith (7)
Goal 3rd Period 2:26 Bryan Rust Goal (10) Wrist Shot, assists: John Ludvig (1), Jake Guentzel (17)
Goal 4th Period 0:14 Filip Forsberg Goal (12) Snap Shot, assists: Roman Josi (12), Ryan O'Reilly (9)

Statistics

https://a.espncdn.com/combiner/i?img=/i/teamlogos/nhl/500/pit.png&h=100&scale=crop&w=100&location=originPIT https://a.espncdn.com/combiner/i?img=/i/teamlogos/nhl/500/nsh.png&h=100&scale=crop&w=100&location=originNSH
16 Blocked Shots 8
16 Hits 33
4 Takeaways 9
31 Shots 25
0 Power Play Goals 0
2 Power Play Opportunities 3
0.0 Power Play Percentage 0.0
0 Short Handed Goals 0
0 Shootout Goals 0
24 Faceoffs Won 27
47.1 Faceoff Win Percent 52.9
16 Giveaways 11
4 Total Penalties 3
11 Penalty Minutes 9
Nashville Predators Nashville Predators Injuries
NAME, POS STATUS DATE
Jonathan Marchessault, RW Out Dec 23
Pittsburgh Penguins Pittsburgh Penguins Injuries
NAME, POS STATUS DATE
Harrison Brunicke, D Out Dec 9
Blake Lizotte, C Injured Reserve Dec 9
Evgeni Malkin, C Injured Reserve Dec 9
Peyton Kettles, D Out Nov 24
Caleb Jones, D Injured Reserve Oct 25

Game Information

Bridgestone Arena

Location: Nashville, TN
Attendance: 17,159 | Capacity:

2025-26 Metropolitan Division Standings

TEAM W L PTS OTL
Carolina 22 11 47 3
Philadelphia 19 10 45 7
NY Islanders 20 13 44 4
Washington 19 13 43 5
NY Rangers 19 16 42 4
New Jersey 20 16 41 1
Pittsburgh 15 12 39 9
Columbus 15 15 36 6

2025-26 Central Division Standings

TEAM W L PTS OTL
Colorado 27 2 61 7
Dallas 25 7 56 6
Minnesota 22 10 50 6
Utah 18 18 39 3
Nashville 16 16 36 4
St. Louis 14 16 36 8
Winnipeg 15 17 33 3
Chicago 13 17 32 6
Full Standings