Penguins fall to Predators in overtime in Sweden

The Pittsburgh Penguins lost to the Nashville Predators, 2-1, in overtime Friday at Avicii Arena in Stockholm.

A goal by forward Steven Stamkos, his fourth of the season, only 43 seconds into the overtime period was the difference.

Rookie goaltender Arturs Silovs unofficially made 28 saves on 30 shots as his record slipped to 4-2-4.

Serving as the visiting team in this contest, the Penguins were limited to 17 shots as they lost for the fifth time in their past six games (1-3-2).

Following a scoreless first period, the Predators had a wonderful opportunity to take the game’s first lead at 12:26 of the second period.

After escaping the penalty box following the expiration of a power-play opportunity for the Penguins, Predators defenseman Justin Barron generated a breakaway but had a pair of forehand shots denied by Silovs’ left leg.

Penguins forward Evgeni Malkin broke the ice at 13:49 of the second frame with his fourth goal of the season.

As former Penguins forward Michael Bunting tried to swipe a puck out of his own zone off the right half-wall, current Penguins defenseman Matt Dumba pinched in to prevent those ambitions. The puck wound up sliding around the near corner to the end boards, where Malkin claimed possession and attempted a pass through the slot. Predators forward Michael McCarron got his stick on the puck, causing it to deflect up into the left shoulder of goaltender Juuse Saros, then into the cage. Malkin was credited with the score, and Dumba had the only assist.

With Saros pulled for an extra attacker, the Predators finally put a puck behind Silovs late in regulation at 18:50 of the third frame when forward Filip Forsberg collected his eighth goal.

Penguins forward Sidney Crosby won a defensive zone draw against Stamkos in the right circle. As Malkin skated forward to the blue line, Crosby tried to feed the puck to Penguins defenseman Ryan Shea. Forsberg read the sequence like an instruction manual and stole the puck, then flipped a backhander from the lower rim of the circle by Silovs’ blocker on the far side. There were no assists.

Operating with the expanse three-on-three play, Stamkos took a cross-ice pass from Predators defenseman Brady Skjei and glided past Malkin into the Penguins’ zone on the right wing, facing little, if any, resistance. Approaching the right dot, Stamkos snapped a wrister to the far side that seared Silovs’ blocker. The only assist went to Skjei.

Saros stopped 16 of 17 shots and his mark improved to 6-6-3.

The teams will conclude their two-game series in Stockholm on Sunday.

Notes:

• The Penguins fell to 2-2-1 all-time in games outside of North America. They previously played in Stockholm to open the 2008-09 season and split a pair of games with the Ottawa Senators. And at the start of the 2000-01 campaign, they split two contests with the Predators in Tokyo.

• Dumba returned to the lineup after being a healthy scratch for five consecutive games.

• Forward Philip Tomasino was back in the Penguins’ lineup after being a healthy scratch the previous two games.

• Penguins defensemen Harrison Brunicke and Connor Clifton, as well as forward Danton Heinen, were healthy scratches. Brunicke, a rookie, has been a healthy scratch for four consecutive games.