However, less than a minute after that, Detroit tied the game once more, but that was as close as they came. O’Reilly recorded what proved to be the game-winner when he tapped in a loose puck at the side of the net, and moments later, Filip Forsberg found Haula in the slot to put the Preds up by two.
Stamkos finished the night with an empty-netter to give the Preds their first five-goal period since 2019, also in Detroit, and Justus Annunen made several key saves in net – 28 in total – to earn his first victory of the season.
For Blankenburg, from the Detroit suburb of Washington, Michigan, the win had an added satisfaction with upwards of 50 to 100 guests in the crowd cheering him on – and by the end of the night, the Preds had likely gained a few new fans with their effort.
“I know my mom invited a lot of people,” Blankenburg said.
Now, Nashville will look for more of that against the Blackhawks on Friday with a chance to sweep their two-game Thanksgiving trip.
“We’ll enjoy [this win tonight], but obviously we’re looking forward to Chicago here in two days,” Blankenburg said. “We’ve got to play a similar game [like we did] tonight and continue to be consistent in that.”
Notes:
Nick Blankenburg and Roman Josi scored 15 seconds apart. It established the fastest two goals by defensemen in Predators history, besting the previous record of 23 seconds by Shea Weber and Kimmo Timonen on Dec. 2, 2006.
Ryan O’Reilly and Erik Haula scored 27 seconds apart for the Predators in the third period. Wednesday marks the third game in franchise history in which the club has scored a pair of goals 30 seconds apart or fewer on multiple occasions. The others: March 25, 2021 and Feb. 28, 2009.
The Preds switched up their forward lines on Wednesday and went with 11 forwards and seven defensemen against Detroit. Winger Tyson Jost and blueliner Justin Barron were scratched.
Nashville’s two-game trip concludes on Friday night in Chicago before hosting the Winnipeg Jets on Saturday evening at Bridgestone Arena.