BELMONT PARK, N.Y. (Interstat) — Roman Josi scored with 1:14 remaining to lift the Nashville Predators over the New York Islanders 4-3 on Saturday night at UBS Arena. Filip Forsberg scored twice for the Predators, who snapped a three-game skid. Matthew Wood added a goal and an assist. Mathew Barzal and Jean-Gabriel Pageau each had a goal for the Islanders. Nashville built a 3-2 lead through two periods before Pageau tied it in the second. Juuse Saros made 27 saves for the win, including a late stop on Emil Heineman to preserve the lead after Josi’s winner. Ilya Sorokin stopped 38 shots for New York. Attendance was 17,255. The Predators improved to 25-29. The Islanders fell to 30-25.

BELMONT PARK, N.Y. (Interstat) — Roman Josi scored with 1 minute, 14 seconds remaining to lift the Nashville Predators to a 4-3 victory over the New York Islanders on Saturday night, snapping a three-game skid. In a back-and-forth affair at UBS Arena, the Predators captain delivered the decisive blow late in the third period, firing a wrist shot past Ilya Sorokin to break a 3-3 tie. The goal, assisted by Adam Wilsby and Erik Haula, secured a crucial road win for Nashville and avenged a shootout loss to the Islanders just over three weeks prior. The game opened with a flurry of first-period offense. Nashville’s Matthew Wood struck first at the 12:53 mark, converting a setup from Jonathan Marchessault and Tyson Jost. The Islanders responded swiftly, with Mathew Barzal tying the game just over a minute later on a feed from Anthony Duclair. New York then took its first lead when Matthew Schaefer scored at the 5:57 mark, with Barzal and Ryan Pulock assisting. Nashville answered on the power play before the period ended. With Adam Pelech in the box for tripping, Filip Forsberg buried a wrist shot at 9:59, assisted by Josi and Steven Stamkos, to knot the score at 2-2 heading into the intermission. The second period saw the Islanders reclaim the lead. Jean-Gabriel Pageau scored at 14:21, finishing a play from Anders Lee and Simon Holmstrom to make it 3-2. The Predators, however, demonstrated resilience. Forsberg netted his second of the night at 28:11, taking a pass from Wood and beating Sorokin to even the score once more at 3-3, setting the stage for the dramatic finish. Josi’s late heroics sealed the win, but Nashville goaltender Juuse Saros ensured it stood, making a critical point-blank stop on Emil Heineman in the final seconds to preserve the lead. Saros finished with 27 saves on 30 shots. Sorokin was busy in the Islanders’ net, turning aside 38 of Nashville’s 42 shots. Forsberg led the Predators with two goals on four shots, while Josi added a goal and an assist. For the Islanders, Barzal contributed a goal and an assist, and Pageau scored once. The victory improved Nashville’s record to 25-29-0, while the Islanders fell to 30-25-0. The game’s total of seven goals surpassed the over/under line of 5.5, defying the pregame projection from National Statistical’s simulator, which had favored New York with a 59.7% probability to win and a predicted final score of 4-2. The contest was physical, featuring nine combined penalties. Nashville’s Marchessault received a misconduct in addition to a hooking call in the first period, while coincidental roughing minors were assessed to Nashville’s Michael McCarron and New York’s Scott Mayfield in the third. Attendance was 17,255 at UBS Arena. Nashville looks to build on the win when it hosts the St. Louis Blues on Monday. The Islanders, meanwhile, will aim to rebound quickly as they travel to face the Washington Capitals, also on Monday.

Islanders Host Predators in Crucial Late-January Matchup BELMONT PARK, N.Y. (Interstat) — The New York Islanders look to solidify their playoff positioning when they host the struggling Nashville Predators at UBS Arena on Saturday. The Islanders (30-24-0) enter on a two-game winning streak, including a 5-2 victory over the rival New York Rangers on Wednesday and a 2-1 road win against the Rangers on Thursday. They sit six games above .500 and are in the mix for a Metropolitan Division spot. Conversely, the Predators (24-29-0) are five games below .500 and have lost three straight, including a 2-1 overtime loss in Boston on Tuesday and a 3-2 overtime defeat in New Jersey on Thursday. Their season record reflects a team fighting for consistency. A key matchup will be in goal, where Nashville’s Juuse Saros is expected to start. Saros has been a workhorse but enters with mixed recent results, having allowed three or more goals in five of his last six starts. He was sharp in a 1-1 tie against these same Islanders on Jan. 8, making 25 saves in a game Nashville eventually won in a shootout. For New York, center Jean-Gabriel Pageau has been a catalyst. He recorded a goal and an assist in Wednesday’s win and had a two-goal performance in a 4-0 shutout of Philadelphia on Jan. 26. His two-way play will be central against Nashville’s middle six. The teams met just over three weeks ago in Nashville, with the Predators securing a 2-1 shootout victory. Saros stopped 25 of 26 shots in that contest, while Islanders goaltender Ilya Sorokin turned aside 29 of 30. Following this game, the Islanders begin a quick road trip to Washington on Monday. The Predators continue their road swing in St. Louis on Monday before returning home. Puck drop is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. EST at UBS Arena. The Islanders hold a significant edge in the standings, but the Predators have proven they can play a tight, goaltender-centric game against this opponent, setting the stage for a tense Eastern Conference clash.