Oilers 3, Predators 2: Lennart Petrell snapped a tie with a short-handed goal midway through the third period as host Edmonton posted its third win in four games.
Jordan Eberle registered a goal and an assist, Magnus Paajarvi also scored and Devan Dubnyk made 29 saves for the Oilers, who are 1-0-1 on their four-game homestand.
Sam Gagner beat Sergei Kostitsyn to a loose puck and skated down the left wing on a 2-on-1 rush before making a cross-slot pass to Petrell, who ripped a one-timer past Pekka Rinne from the right faceoff dot at 10:53 for a 2-1 lead. Eberle added what proved to be an important insurance goal with 4:11 remaining, as Roman Josi scored with 10 seconds left in regulation.
Josi added an assist, fellow defenseman Shea Weber scored a goal and Rinne stopped 18 shots for the Predators, who have lost three straight after opening their five-game road trip with a shutout victory in Dallas.
After a scoreless first period, both teams cashed in on a power-play opportunity in the second. Edmonton struck first as Paajarvi slid a backhander into a vacant net from the doorstep at 8:11, but Weber's one-timer from the blue line beat Dubnyk to the stick side with 3:23 remaining in the period to draw Nashville even.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Kostitsyn returned to the Predators' lineup after being a healthy scratch against Calgary on Friday, but may have earned himself another night in the press box with his lack of effort on the tiebreaking goal. After allowing Gagner to get past him for a loose puck, Kostitsyn stopped pursuing the speedy Edmonton center and went to the bench for a line change, leaving Weber alone to defend two forwards. ... Petrell's goal was Edmonton's fourth short-handed tally of the season. The Oilers trail only New Jersey (eight) and Buffalo (five) in that category. ... Nashville fell to 1-8-1 in its last 10 road games.
Nashville | Edmonton | |
Roman Josi 2 | Points | Jordan Eberle 2 |
Roman Josi 1 | Goals | Jordan Eberle 1 |
Roman Josi 1 | Assists | Jordan Eberle 1 |
Shea Weber 1 | Power Play Goals | Magnus Paajarvi 1 |
N/A | Short Handed Goals | Lennart Petrell 1 |
Pekka Rinne .857 | Save Percentage | Devan Dubnyk .935 |
Pekka Rinne 18 | Saves | Devan Dubnyk 29 |
Team | Shots | Goals | Power Play | Penalty Kill | Penalty Mins | Face Offs Won |
Nashville | 31 | 2 | 1-4 | 1-2 | 4 | 28 |
Edmonton | 21 | 3 | 1-2 | 3-4 | 8 | 25 |