O’Reilly used his skate to corral a pass from Josi, then turned and lifted a backhanded shot over Wedgewood for his first goal at 6:38 of the second period, putting the Predators up 3-0.
Former Avalanche forwards Ross Colton and Jack Drury, skating in their first game against their former team, connected to extend Nashville’s lead to 4-0 at 16:36. Colton found Drury alone on Wedgewood’s blocker side, and Drury tucked a backhand shot around the goaltender’s outstretched glove.
“I was happy for Ross,” Drury said. “He’s played well the last couple of games. We came really close in Pittsburgh to connecting on one there at the end of the (second) period (Saturday), but he made a great play and was fired up. It was a cool moment to share with him.”
O’Reilly’s second power-play tally came on a wrist shot at 17:29 to give the Predators a 5-0 advantage.
“We had 20 drivers tonight,” Brunette said. “Every time it was their turn to grab the wheel, they floored it. I think it sets up a little bit of what my expectations for this group were, kind of the standard we’re trying to set. We know we can’t get it every night, but we know we can do it, and we need to bring it a little more each night.”
Lehkonen extended his point streak to seven games by tapping in Necas’ centering feed to trim Nashville’s lead to 5-1 at 17:55. He has 10 points (seven goals, three assists) on his streak.