ST. LOUIS — In a thrilling showdown, the St. Louis Blues triumphed over the Nashville Predators with a final score of 7-4 on Friday night. Robert Thomas stood out with two goals, while Jordan Kyrou contributed with a goal and an assist. The Blues’ success was further boosted by Joel Hofer’s performance in the net, where he recorded 26 saves, and defenseman Cam Fowler, who achieved a goal and two assists.
Zack Bolduc, Philip Broberg, and Colton Parayko each added to the scoreboard for St. Louis, while Dylan Holloway notched two assists. For the Predators, Steven Stamkos and Jonathan Marchessault each found the net and added an assist, with Mark Jankowski and Nick Blankenburg also scoring. The Predators’ goalie, Juuse Saros, had a challenging night and was replaced in the second period after yielding five goals on 15 shots.
Thomas opened the scoring early in the match, finding the back of the net just 1:20 into the first period. His unassisted goal came from a quick interception of a pass by Gustav Nyquist, which he converted with a precise wrist shot. Bolduc followed shortly after, scoring with a slap shot at 2:47. Thomas further extended his team’s lead with a power play goal at 15:10 in the third period, assisted by Kyrou and Fowler, bringing the score to 6-4. Parayko capped off the night with an empty-net goal at 1:15 left in the game.
Key moments for the Blues included Fowler’s impressive slap shot from the blue line that gave the team a 4-2 lead at 18:05 of the first period; this marked his first goal of the season after being acquired from Anaheim in a trade back in December.
On the Predators’ side, Saros had a moment he would likely want back when he inadvertently directed the puck to Broberg, who managed to score unassisted from the left circle at 15:29 during the second period. Following this, Justus Annunen took over goaltending duties for the Predators, making 12 saves on 13 shots.
In terms of notable statistics, Thomas has been on a scoring streak, accumulating 18 points over his last 12 games after netting six goals alongside 12 assists.
As for the upcoming schedule, the Predators are set to face off against Winnipeg on Monday, while the Blues will play host to the Buffalo Sabres on Sunday.
