Ranking All Eight Nashville Predators Goals Against the St. Louis Blues

Nov 24, 2023; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; Nashville Predators left wing Filip Forsberg (9) is congratulated by teammates after scoring against the St. Louis Blues during the first period at Enterprise Center. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 24, 2023; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; Nashville Predators left wing Filip Forsberg (9) is congratulated by teammates after scoring against the St. Louis Blues during the first period at Enterprise Center. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports
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For just the ninth time in franchise history, the Nashville Predators scored eight-plus goals in a game to take down the St. Louis Blues 8-3 for their fourth-straight win on Friday.

Eight goals in a game isn’t the most rare thing in the world of sports, but it’s certainly pretty damn exciting when it happens. At least when it’s your team you’re cheering for that is. Sorry, Blues fans.

Filip Forsberg, Kiefer Sherwood and Luke Evangelista all had three-point games, while Forsberg notched his fourth multi-goal performance in just 19 games on the season. Pretty amazing stuff we’re witnessing.

So with that, let’s rank all eight Nashville Predators goals scored in the 8-3 win over the division rival St. Louis Blues. Ranked by most difficult, highest degree of difficulty and just how impressive overall the goal was.

Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports
Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports /

O’Reilly Breaks the Hearts of Blues Fans to Put Preds Up 5-1 on Power Play Goal

This is just brutal stuff for Blues fans, and yes, I do feel kind of bad for them on this one. However, for the purpose of ranking all eight goals, this one comes on a 5-on-3 and the Blues had little chance of stopping this.

Credit to the Predators power play unit for finding the loose pucks to keep the Blues from getting the desperate clear, and for Roman Josi for playing that vital quarterback role.

To find the wide open O’Reilly on one side of the net, it took an excellent pass across the net from Forsberg, and Colton Sissons taking up space right in center. All around a perfectly executed 5-on-3 power play goal that almost any penalty kill would have trouble stopping.

There were a lot of gorgeous goals from the Predators in this one, so this goal from O’Reilly which is his 10th with Nashville, gets the countdown going.

Not a bad way to start this, eh?

Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports
Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports /

Sherwood Ends Blues Miracle Comeback Attempt, Time to Go Home

This was just an odd goal altogether, and first off I want to give massive respect to any Blues fan who was still in their seats when this goal occurred with just over seven minutes left in regulation and the Predators up 7-3.

Just a product of the Blues having no interest in this game anymore and just waiting for that clock to expire, while the Predators was still applying relentless pressure on the forecheck until Sherwood beat Jordan Binnington for his 5th goal of the season.

The red light never went off for this goal and there was really no reaction from anyone, even the Predators players. Just some light fist bumps and some groans from the home crowd.

A hard-working goal in a close game, but in a blowout, this doesn’t make it far up the list on the eight goals. I’ll put it ahead of the 5-on-3 goal because still showing that kind of determination up 7-3 is still noteworthy.

Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports
Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports /

Evangelista Scores His 2nd of Game, the Route is On for Predators

It’s a four-goal lead for the Predators at this point. A pretty insurmountable lead, but the Blues aren’t buried yet. A lot of time left, and the Predators power play looked like it was going to come up empty.

While it doesn’t officially go down as a Predators power play goal, as it was expiring, Evangelista gets his 2nd goal of the game to really put this one out of reach for the Blues to make a miracle comeback.

It was a prevailing theme in the game; the Predators won loose puck battles and the Blues many times couldn’t get out of the zone. Much of this was due to outstanding passing from the Predators.

This is another hard-working, grind it out goal. They didn’t give up on the play. Evangelista was a big reason why, so it was nice to see him get rewarded with the goal on the assists from Philip Tomasino and Alexandre Carrier.

And by the way, Tomasino has his point streak up to four games after being benched multiple games. Awesome for him to battle back and produce.

Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports
Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports /

Nashville Predators Strike First with Forsberg’s Goal 7 Minutes In

Prototypical greasy goal from Forsberg. He can score them all different kinds of way. This game was back and forth when the Predators got on the board first.

Kudos to Jeremy Lauzon for having the smartness to blast one into traffic and allow Forsberg the chance to find a loose puck. It’s not necessarily the flashiest type of offense, but it can be effective against a goalie not seeing the puck well.

I rank this higher than the first three goals on this list because it’s the critical first goal, and it’s no easy feat to find a loose puck like that and beat the goalie. You have basically a split second to get the puck on your stick and fire it.

We’ve seen the Predators blow multi-goal leads this season multiple times, so this goal was nice to have, but at this time it felt like a lot of work had to be done. And did they ever accomplish that and more.

Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports
Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports /

Forsberg Adds Salt to the Wound With Patented Wrister

Another Forsberg goal drops on the list. He’s up to 11 goals on the season and is playing arguably the best hockey of his NHL career. Even compared to 2021-22 when he put up 84 points.

On this goal, the game is completely out of reach for the Blues but the Predators aren’t taking their foot off the gas. Jerks. And a perfect set up pass from Cole Smith to find Forsberg in the slot all alone.

The Blues weren’t skating hard at all at this point, but I still rank this up there above some of the others because the Predators were playing with that chip on their shoulder they’ve been talking about.

And anytime I see a Filip Forsberg wrister zip past a goalie, I’m giving it bonus points. But yes, the Blues looked like they quit on defense at this juncture.

Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports
Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports /

Yak Attack Muscles a Puck Past the Goal Line for a 2-0 Lead

Again, another example of horrendous defense from the Blues. This goal was vital to the whole game, however. In real time it didn’t feel like a goal and that the goalie smothered it.

Upon further review, Trenin powered it barely over the goal line for that coveted 2-0 lead. I rank it pretty high on this list because if he doesn’t skate hard towards the net on the 3-on-1 rush then maybe that puck doesn’t get by and a one-goal remains slim.

Trenin has really turned it up to high gear recently. He has added to that depth scoring that’s making the Predators click on all cylinders. He’s got three goals now on the season after starting off cursed.

Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports
Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports /

Evangelista is Found Wide Open to Put Preds Up 3-0 in 1st Period

The snowball effect was taking shape after this Predators goal. Another scenario of the Predators hunting loose puck, and the Blues getting caught flat footed.

Alexandre Carrier did the whole bumper style hockey to find Sherwood, who then found a wide open Evangelista. No chance for the goalie, and just lazy defensive structure from the Blues.

Sensing a trend here? Yes, the Predators were relentless in their attack, but the Blues offered no fight whatsoever. This ranks second on my list of eight goals in this game because the teamwork and hard forechecking to keep possession is the style of hockey that’s going to win you playoff games in the future.

Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports
Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports /

Stastney Scores his 1st NHL Goal

This has to rank at the top of my list of the eight Nashville Predators goals against the Blues on Friday. Spencer Stastney gets his 1st NHL goal after the Blues came away shellshocked to make the score 4-1 Predators.

If there was ever a turning point in this game, it was this goal. The Blues had just made it 3-1, there was a ton of time left and paranoia was sinking in that the Predators were going to blow a lead. But not so fast.

The Blues had just missed a chance at making it 3-2 and really getting the momentum back, and then the Predators counterattacked with a transition game you rarely ever saw in the John Hynes Era.

Sherwood got the rush going, then Evangelista made the great pass to find a loose Stastney skating in the slot. That shot of his is why he’s still in the starting lineup, and Dante Fabbro isn’t right now.

A dominating win for the Nashville Predators over the St. Louis Blues.
 

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