Ville Koivunen scored 3:44 into overtime to give the Pittsburgh Penguins a 3-2 win over the Nashville Predators on Saturday at PPG Paints Arena, completing a rally from a two-goal deficit. Rickard Rakell tied it late in the third period to force the extra frame.
Nashville led twice behind a deflected Steven Stamkos goal and a Jayden Struble tally, but the Predators could not hold either lead. Juuse Saros stopped 34 of 37 shots in the loss, while Arturs Silovs made 24 of 26 saves for Pittsburgh.
Takeaways From Penguins’ Win Over Predators
Pittsburgh erased a third-period deficit
The Penguins trailed 2-1 entering the third period after Struble’s snap shot goal at 6:40 of the second period put Nashville ahead. Rakell tied the game with 1:06 left in regulation, scoring on a snap shot assisted by Sidney Crosby and Erik Karlsson. The goal forced overtime and extended Pittsburgh’s chance to win a game it trailed for more than 50 minutes.
Pittsburgh dominated shot volume despite trailing on faceoffs
The Penguins outshot the Predators 37-26 and finished with 13 giveaways compared to Nashville’s 24. Nashville won the faceoff battle convincingly, taking 33 draws to Pittsburgh’s 27 for a 55% win rate, but the shot and turnover gap proved more significant in the final result.
Special teams were a non-factor
Both teams went scoreless on their lone power-play opportunity. Nashville was 0-for-1 and Pittsburgh matched at 0-for-1, meaning all five goals in the game came at even strength, including the overtime winner.
Player Of The Game: Ville Koivunen
Koivunen scored the winning goal on a snap shot in overtime, assisted by Hendrix Lapierre and Kris Letang. He finished with one goal, three shots on goal and a plus-2 rating in 16:28 of ice time, giving him the game-winner in Pittsburgh’s fifth win of the season.
Penguins Vs. Predators By The Numbers
Pittsburgh out-shot Nashville 37-26, a 11-shot edge that reflected the Penguins’ offensive pressure for most of the night. Nashville committed 24 giveaways to Pittsburgh’s 13, nearly double the turnover rate. The Predators won 55% of faceoffs compared to 45% for the Penguins. Both teams finished with five takeaways apiece, and each was whistled for just one penalty, resulting in two penalty minutes for each side.
What’s Next
Pittsburgh improved to 5-6-1 with the win. Nashville fell to 3-3-4 and sits seventh in the Central Division with 10 points, while the Penguins hold 11 points in the Metropolitan Division. Pittsburgh now leads the season series against Nashville 1-0. Neither team’s next opponent was included in the official data provided for this matchup.
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