National Hockey League
Winnipeg 6, Nashville 4
When: 7:00 PM ET, Saturday, October 23, 2021
Where: Canada Life Centre, Winnipeg, Manitoba
Referees: Peter MacDougall, Justin St. Pierre
Linesmen: Ryan Daisy, Justin Johnson
Attendance: 14020

Paul Stastny had two goals, Pierre-Luc Dubois and Kyle Connor each added one with an assist and the Winnipeg Jets beat the visiting Nashville Predators 6-4 on Saturday night.

Playing a second consecutive game without top-line forward Mark Scheifele and third straight minus fellow star Blake Wheeler due to COVID-19 protocols, Winnipeg won its second in a row after starting 0-2-1.

Adam Lowry also scored, Kristian Vesalainen recorded his first NHL goal, and Nate Schmidt posted three assists for the Jets.

Nick Cousins had a goal with two assists, Thomas Novak recorded three assists while Colton Sissons, Roman Josi and Philip Tomasino also scored for the Predators, who have dropped four of five.

The Predators took advantage of an early Winnipeg turnover in its own end. That led to a two-on-one chance for the Predators and Sissons' goal past Connor Hellebuyck (26 saves) 1:15 into the contest.

The Jets, though, quickly regrouped. Off some defensive pressure in the neutral zone, Lowry caught up to Dylan DeMelo's lead pass and broke free to beat Nashville goalie Juuse Saros (23 saves) at the 2:42 mark of the opening period.

Winnipeg went ahead just 1:11 into the second, when Dubois deflected home Schmidt's drive for his fourth goal of the season. It was 1:23 later that the Jets had a two-goal advantage after Stastny pushed in a rebound of Connor's shot on the power play.

Nashville, however, got within 3-2 thanks to a power-play score from Cousins with 6:33 left in the middle period.

But Winnipeg regained its two-goal edge with 11 seconds remaining in the second. Vesalainen, the Jets' first-round pick in the 2017 draft, re-directed Schmidt's shot past Saros for that milestone goal in his 22nd NHL game.

Josi again got the Predators within a goal, at 4-3, with his one-timer 3:10 into the third period, but Stastny tipped in Neal Pionk's shot 26 seconds later. With 13:56 left, Connor notched the second power-play tally for Winnipeg, which has at least five goals in three straight contests.

Tomasino concluded the night's scoring with 6:19 left in regulation.

--Field Level Media

Top Game Performances
 
Nashville   Winnipeg
Nick Cousins 3 Points Nate Schmidt 3
Nick Cousins 1 Goals Paul Stastny 2
Thomas Novak 3 Assists Nate Schmidt 3
Nick Cousins 1 Power Play Goals Paul Stastny 1
N/A Short Handed Goals N/A
Juuse Saros .793 Save Percentage Connor Hellebuyck .867
Juuse Saros 23 Saves Connor Hellebuyck 26
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Shots Goals Power Play Penalty Kill Penalty Mins Face Offs Won
Nashville 30 4 2-4 1-3 11 22
Winnipeg 29 6 2-3 2-4 13 37
Upcoming Games
  • Winnipeg will play their next game on the road against Anaheim. The Jets have a W/L % of 1.000 after a win and .250 after a loss.
  • Nashville will play their next game on the road against Minnesota. The Predators have a W/L % of .000 after a win and .333 after a loss.