Filip Forsberg scores twice as Preds top Kraken

Filip Forsberg scored two goals and Steven Stamkos had two assists in the Nashville Predators' 5-3 win over the visiting Seattle Kraken on Thursday.Brady Skjei, Michael McCarron and Luke Evangelist

Filip Forsberg scores twice as Preds top Kraken

Filip Forsberg scored two goals and Steven Stamkos had two assists in the Nashville Predators’ 5-3 win over the visiting Seattle Kraken on Thursday.

Brady Skjei, Michael McCarron and Luke Evangelista also scored for the Predators, who are on a two-game winning streak.

Juuse Saros stopped 22 of 25 shots to earn his 15th win of the season.

The two-goal performance ended a minor slump for Forsberg, who had one goal and one assist in his previous eight games. Forsberg is the Predators’ leader in goals (24) and assists (33).

Adam Larsson, Jared McCann and Michael Eyssimont scored for the Kraken, and Joey Daccord stopped 29 of 33 shots.

The Kraken are 3-6-1 in their last 10 games.

Just 32 seconds into the game, Larsson deposited a backhanded shot over Saros’ shoulder.

A turnover from Kraken defenseman Vince Dunn led to the Predators’ equalizer at 7:15 of the first period. Dunn slipped and fell in his own end, allowing Colton Sissons to quickly pass the loose puck to Forsberg in front for the goal.

The Predators outshot the Kraken 17-5 in the first period, and Nashville kept the offense coming with three goals in the second period. At the 3:33 mark, Skjei fired a shot from just inside the blue line that beat a screened Daccord.

Forsberg got the official credit for Nashville’s goal at 5:48 of the second period, though the forward again capitalized on a Seattle mistake. Forsberg passed to the front of the net, and the puck deflected off Shane Wright’s stick and past Daccord for the own goal.

Nashville added a late strike just nine seconds before the second intermission when McCarron converted a wrap-around. Ozzy Wiesblatt recorded an assist for the rookie’s first career NHL point.

Seattle reduced the deficit on McCann’s power-play tally 13:31 into the third period. Evangelista scored an empty-net goal at the 17:15 mark to essentially clinch the game for Nashville, though Eyssimont added one more score for the Kraken a minute later.