NASHVILLE - Nashville fell to Vegas 5-2 on Tuesday as the Predators got a glimpse of how much further the organization must go to hang with the NHL's top teams. The Golden Knights turned their penalty kill into multiple chances, blocked 19 shots, and forced 24 Predators giveaways, frustrating the home team throughout the night.
The Predators jumped in front early, then fell into a 2-1 hole by the first intermission, then one of Nashville's newest players became the only bright spot on the night as Adam Edstrm scored the Predators' first shorthanded goal of the season to tie the game 2-2 in the second period.
Nicolas Hague dug the puck off the boards in the defensive zone and found Edstrm streaking up the ice on a breakaway chance. Edstrm kept his Golden Knights defenseman on his back and fired a shot at Adin Hill. Hill blocked the first attempt but came off his line, allowing Edstrm to score a wrap-around goal to tie the contest.
"Yeah, I saw that he kind of missed his post, and then he was way too close to me, so I was like, 'The net's got to be open,' and I just tried to wrap it around him," Edstrm said.
Edstrm's goal is his third in three games after the former New York Ranger scored two empty-net goals against the Montreal Canadiens last week. He's been a mainstay on the fourth line and on the penalty kill this season after being traded to Nashville this summer.
"Yeah, I'm trying to stick to the basics, play a hard-nosed game, use my skating, use my size, and it's worked well so far," Edstrm said. "So just kind of keep on building on the chemistry and work on that."
Predators head coach Andrew Brunette praised Edstrm's combination of physicality and skill, as the forward's goal was the only silver lining in an otherwise disappointing evening.
"Yeah, he's been really good," Brunette said. "He hounds pucks, and he gets on top of pucks with his size and his reach and his speed. He's been creating stuff, and tonight was a perfect example of what he brings."
Edstrm was perhaps the least noteworthy Predators addition this summer, but his size, speed, and reliability have stood out, and he's earning Brunette's trust with his output. He's mustered three goals on 11 shots on goal, with 28 hits and seven blocked shots in the first six games of the season.
"Yeah, I think gaining trust by doing those things," Brunette said. "He works extremely hard, and he's a guy that can get on pucks, and he's reliable on his own end. All those things that we need him to be, he's been bringing them so far."
Despite the individual success, Edstrm wants to see more from the Predators as a team. Nashville is 2-2-2 on the year and welcomes the San Jose Sharks into Bridgestone Arena on Thursday.
"Just a complete 60-minute game," Edstrm said. "I feel like there's been ups and downs all season, but I feel like we still haven't really played a solid 60 minutes, and that's something we've got to get up to pace and do."
The Predators fall to sixth place in the Central Division after the loss, but Edstrm's goal and early-season performance give Nashville something to work with as the first month of the season continues.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/nhl/predators/onsi as Adam Edstrm Scores Shorthanded As Bright Spot in Predators Loss .
