Filip Forsberg's hat trick leads surging Predators over Blues

Filip Forsberg scored a hat trick to lead the visiting Nashville Predators past the St. Louis Blues 5-2 on Monday night.

Michael Bunting and Reid Schaefer also scored for the Predators, who won for the seventh time in 10 games -- and for the second time against the Blues in five days.

Roman Josi and Ryan O'Reilly earned two assists for Nashville and Juuse Saros made 20 saves.

Dalibor Dvorsky scored twice for the Blues, who lost for the third time in their last four games. Joel Hofer allowed four goals on 25 shots.

The Predators struck just 27 seconds into the game to take a 1-0 lead. O'Reilly gathered an errant shot behind the net and set up Forsberg, who scored moving in from the left wing.

The Blues tied the game 1-1 when Hugh McGing took a bouncing lead pass from Justin Faulk up the left wing and slid the puck to Dvorsky for his goal from the high slot.

Nashville surged ahead 4-1 in the second period with the help of three Blues penalties.

The Predators scored 1:23 into the period when Bunting circled the back of the net and scored with a wraparound shot between Hofer's pads.

Nashville got back-to-back power plays in the second period and converted one of them for a 3-1 lead. Forsberg took a pass from Steven Stamkos and scored from the slot.

The Predators made it 4-1 with 1:15 left in the period. Josi kept the puck in at the right point and moved it to Schaefer, who surprised Hofer with his turnaround shot from the blue line.

The Blues cut their deficit to 4-2 with a power-play goal in the third period. After Saros stopped Pavel Buchnevich's point-blank shot, St. Louis broke through with Jake Neighbours' cross-crease pass to Dvorsky for a tap-in at the left post.

But with Hofer off the ice for an extra attacker, Forsberg scored an empty-net goal to ice the game with 3:51 left.

--Field Level Media