Observations from the Penguins’ 5-2 win against the Predators:

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Patric Hornqvist was in a familiar place on Friday.

Bridgestone Arena.

He spent the first six years of his NHL career with the Nashville Predators before joining the Penguins during the 2014 offseason and eventually helped them win a pair of Stanley Cup titles.

He was back on the ice with his teammates on Friday participating in the morning skate. He had not skated with the team since Nov. 30 due to a right knee injury.

Working on a “fifth line” with assistant coach Mark Recchi and reserve forward Thomas Di Pauli, Hornqvist was no threat to play. He missed his 10th consecutive game due to his injury. But Mike Sullivan suggested his return was very close.

When Hornqvist does return, he’ll provide a considerable boost for a team that has been hobbled by injuries all season long. He’ll also push one of his teammates out of the lineup.

And with Sidney Crosby also on the verge of a return, the competition for spots in the lineup figures to be getting stiffer in the coming days.

Good thing Alex Galchenyuk had one of his best games of the season.

Largely a disappointment since joining the Penguins, Galchenyuk scored a pretty timely goal - especially for his purposes - which restored a lead early in the first period. It was a gritty, dirty net-front goal too. A Patric Hornqvist goal ™. Beyond that, he played a pretty complete game up and down the ice.

Maybe one game doesn’t rewrite whatever assessment coaches and management have of Galchenyuk to this point of the season, but he needed that goal and this game in a very dire way.

“I’m thrilled that he scored,” coach Mike Sullivan said. “It gives him an opportunity to feel good about himself. Hopefully, that will be a boost of confidence for him. If you want to score goals, going to the net is a good way to do it. He was there for that one. Got a great deflection, he banged the rebound in.”

What happened

The Penguins opened the scoring only 2:17 into regulation. From his own blue line, Penguins defenseman Juuso Riikola fed a pass up the left wing to Dominik Simon. Gaining the offensive zone, Simon pushed the puck below the left dot and fired a pedestrian wrister on net. the puck trickled through goaltender Pekka Rinne’s five hole. Assists went to Riikola and defenseman Chad Ruhwedel.

(Video courtesy NHL)

It only took 2:13 for the Predators to respond. Penguins defenseman Kris Letang tried to clear a puck off his own end boards but turned it over to Predators defenseman Mattias Ekholm at the right point. Ekholm swatted a one-timer on net which Predators forward Craig Smith deflected on net. Goaltender Tristan Jarry made the initial save and on the ensuing scramble for the rebound, Letang directed the puck past Jarry’s right skate. Ekholm had the lone assist.

(Video courtesy NHL)

At 2:17 of the period, the Penguins took a 2-1 lead. Penguins defenseman Marcus Pettersson boomed a one-timer from the right point on net. Rinne made the initial save but allowed a rebound. Penguins forward Alex Galchenyuk was parked above the crease and jabbed the rebound through Rinne’s five hole for his third goal of the season. Pettersson and defenseman John Marino collected assists.

(Video courtesy NHL)

They took a two-goal lead only 44 seconds later. Penguins forward Zach Aston-Reese streaked up the right wing and lifted a wrister on net. Rinne made the save but allowed another rebound which Penguins forward Teddy Blueger cleaned up with a forehand shot. Aston-Reese and forward Brandon Tanev recorded assists.

(Video courtesy NHL)

It became a 4-1 game at 4:38 of the second period. Weaving his way across the crease to the left circle, Penguins forward Jake Guentzel fed a pass to above the crease where forward Bryan Rust was able to easily tap in his 14th goal behind an out-of-place Saros. Guentzel and forward Evgeni Malkin had assists.

(Video courtesy NHL)

The rout was on at 18:04 of the second. After Penguins forward Jared McCann cleanly won a faceoff in Nashville’s left circle against Predators forward Kyle Turris, Penguins forward Dominik Kahun claimed the puck on the half wall and fed it to Riikola at the left point. Riikola rushed up the boards and attacked the net. Saros denied his initial forehand shot but could not fend off his subsequent chance on the rebound. It was Riikola’s first goal of the season. Kahun and McCann had assists.

(Video courtesy NHL)

At 9:18 of the third period, the Predators got their second goal. Corralling a puck at the left point, Predators defenseman Roman Josi whipped a wrister towards the cage. Predators forward Viktor Arvidsson glided through the left circle, got position on Penguins defenseman Jack Johnson and made a deft deflection with his forehand, putting the puck past Jarry’s right shoulder on the near side. Assists went to Josi and forward Rocco Grimaldi.

(Video courtesy NHL)

Statistically speaking

• The Predators led in shots, 32-25.

• Predators forward Dante Fabbro led the game with six shots.

• Letang led the Penguins with three shots.

• Josi led the game with 27:27 of ice time on 33 shifts.

• Letang led the Penguins with 25:41 of ice time on 29 shifts.

• The Predators had a 34-23 lead in faceoffs (60 percent).

• Former Penguins forward Nick Bonino was 9 for 10 (90 percent).

• McCann was 7 for 13 (54 percent).

• Penguins forward Brandon Tanev led the game with five blocked shots.

• Defensemen Ryan Ellis, Matt Irwin, Ekholm and forward Mikael Granlund each led the Predators with two blocked shots.

Historically speaking

• Malkin (1,034 points) moved ahead of former forwards Martin St. Louis and Doug Weight (1,033 each) for sole possession of 75th place on the NHL’s career scoring list.

• Blueger established a new career-high in points with 11.

• Riikola’s last goal came in a 3-2 road win against the Arizona Coyotes on Jan. 18.

• Riikola had his first career multi-point game.

• Josi played in his 600th career game.

Randomly speaking

• Things kind of boiled over at 8:59 of the third when Ekholm tripped Malkin, who didn’t exactly provide a ton of resistance to Ekholm on the sequence. Immediately after that, a tag team wrestling match broke out with Malkin going at it Ekholm while Rust and Irwin tussled. All four players took minor penalties for roughing, including a double minor for Malkin, while Ekholm took 10-minute misconduct which ended his night.

• As a result of those penalties and a head injury defenseman Dan Hamhuis suffered in the first period, the Predators were limited to three defensemen for several minutes after that fracas. That forced them to use forward Calle Jarkrok as a defenseman for several shifts.

• Hamhuis was injured at 13:11 of the first period when he leaned down to block a shot by Galchenyuk but the puck rode up his stick and struck Hamhuis in the face.

• We’re not sure all of them were deserved, but Malkin took a season-high eight penalty minutes tonight. He entered the game with only 10 all season.

• Jarry kind of had an impressive but quiet 30-save performance. He just looks like he owns his crease right now.

• The Penguins were 0 for 1 on the power play. They were 2 for 2 on the penalty kill.

• Predators forward Colton Sissons left the game at 12:15 of the first period due to an undisclosed injury.

Publicly speaking

• Sullivan on getting offense from all four lines and the third defensive pairing:

“When you get offense throughout your lineup like that, it gives you a much better chance to win. That’s what it takes, especially given the circumstances that we in right now. It’s a good win for us. Our guys played hard.”

• Galchenyuk shaved his scraggly beard and showed up to work today with a clean face. He joked that it helped him score.

“I wanted to freshen up a little bit and I guess it paid off today.”

• Rust was not surprised Malkin and Ekholm went at it:

“No. Especially between the guys that it did. There’s a bit of history there. They’re a team that’s got a lot of pride and they weren’t happy with the way things went in their own building. So it should be a fun one tomorrow.”

(Note: The Penguins and Predators meet Saturday at PPG Paints Arena.)

• Riikola’s goal was impressive to Sullivan:

“It was a real nice play. Juuso made a great move to the net. He got a lane to the net. He made a great move. We’re obviously thrilled for him. The reaction on the bench was terrific. These guys really like Juuso. He’s been a great pro for us all year, keeping himself ready. Now, he’s making an impact on the game.”

• Ditto Rust:

“I mean, that was a goal scorer’s goal. He made a nice play down the wall, made a move towards the net, got hooked a little bit, stayed with it and buried it top corner.”

• Predators coach Peter Laviolette on using Jarkrok as a defenseman:

“It’s a numbers game. I didn’t have any defenseman left.”

• Josi went to bat for Rinne and Saros:

“It’s a wake-up call. We need to be better. They scored most of their goals in front of our goalies. We need to be better and defend better in front of them.”

Visually speaking

• Game summary.

• Event summary.

• Highlights:

Follow the Penguins all season long.

---

Copyright ©2025— Trib Total Media, LLC (TribLIVE.com)

---