Ryan O’Reilly scored twice in his return from an injury as the visiting Nashville Predators snapped their club-record eight-game losing streak with a 4-1 victory over the Dallas Stars on Thursday.
Justus Annunen made 35 saves for Nashville.
O’Reilly had missed the previous three games with a lower-body injury, but he wasted no time making an impact by scoring twice during a three-goal second period for the Predators, who had been mired in an 0-5-3 skid.
Tommy Novak also scored in the second for Nashville, which ended an 0-5-1 road slide.
Annunen, making his second start since being acquired from Colorado on Nov. 30, was stellar — especially during the third period, when Dallas outshot the Predators 16-6 but managed only Lian Bichsel’s first career goal. Annunen stopped five shots in the first three minutes of the third.
Dallas, meanwhile, lost for the third time in four games, slipping to 11-3-0 in home games. Jake Oettinger made 22 saves in suffering his first loss in 11 starts at home this season.
Nashville outplayed the Stars during the first period, holding an 8-5 shots advantage. The Predators appeared to open the scoring with 2:40 left via a goal by Adam Wilsby. However, it was wiped off for offsides after Dallas challenged.
Wilsby did earn his first NHL point with 8:20 remaining in the second. Via a 4-on-4 situation, Marchessault got the rebound of Wilsby’s shot and, from behind the net, sent it to a crashing O’Reilly to convert.
Less than two minutes later, Marchessault set up Novak, who deked Oettinger to score. O’Reilly put the Predators up 3-0 at 14:39, redirecting Kevin Gravel’s shot from the point.
After Bichsel’s milestone goal with 9:26 left in regulation, Nashville appeared to go up 4-1 through Nick Blankenburg. However, another successful Dallas challenge, this time for goaltender interference, pulled that goal off the board.
But Zach L’Heureux’s empty-netter eventually gave back that three-goal edge for Nashville.
The Predators played without star captain Roman Josi, who is day-to-day with a lower-body injury.
