Nashville 5, Arizona 2
When: 8:00 PM ET, Tuesday, December 1, 2015
Where: Bridgestone Arena, Nashville, Tennessee
Referees:
Dan O'Rourke, Justin St. Pierre
Linesmen:
Jonny Murray, Pierre Racicot
Attendance:
15091
By The Sports Xchange
NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Prior to Tuesday night's game with the Arizona Coyotes, Nashville Predators coach Peter Laviolette asked his team for more urgency in the offensive zone.
For at least one evening, Nashville produced what its coach wanted, storming the zone all game and finally getting rewarded with four third-period goals in a 5-2 win at Bridgestone Arena.
In winning for only the second time in seven games, the Predators (13-7-4) put 41 shots on goal to Arizona's 15 and tried 66 shots to the Coyotes' 36. All 18 Nashville skaters attempted at least one shot, led by nine from left winger Filip Forsberg.
It was Forsberg who headlined the third period onslaught, snapping a 2-2 tie with a wrister from the high slot at 4:49 for his fourth goal. He added an insurance goal at 17:01, polishing off a 3-on-1 rush with a one-timer off a feed from center Mike Ribeiro.
The Predators' third period outburst was an oasis in a desert full of dry spells. In their previous six games, they managed only six goals, suffering three straight shutouts to open a five-game road trip.
"It's been frustrating lately," Forsberg admitted. "But tonight, we kept the pressure on. Even though we weren't scoring in the first and second period, we had a lot of chances, a lot of looks and a lot of guys in front of the net."
It looked like more of the same through 40 minutes for Nashville, which owned a 27-10 advantage in shots on goal but trailed 2-1 after Arizona's fourth line snapped a 1-1 tie with a backhander from center Kyle Chipchura at 17:09 of the second period.
But Ribeiro put a charge into the crowd of 15,091 at 2:33 of the third, turning a bad pass from defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson into the tying goal as he beat goalie Mike Smith from the slot for his third goal.
Another poor pass from defenseman Nicklas Grossmann set up Forsberg's go-ahead goal, helping lead to the Coyotes' first loss in 11 games in which they took a lead to the third period.
"You can't continually get outshot 2 to 1 and 3 to 1 and expect to win hockey games," said Chipchura. "We have to move the puck smarter and more efficiently, not play back on our heels."
Smith (10-6-1) was magnificent in goal for Arizona (13-10-1) with 36 saves, including three on Grade A chances in the game's first three minutes. The Predators also hit four posts -- two each by defenseman Shea Weber and left winger James Neal.
Not that an iron diet kept both off the scoresheet. Weber compiled three assists, including a neat centering pass that center Callie Jarnkrok tipped through Smith's legs at 12:32 of the second period to put Nashville on the board, and Neal capped the team's dominant third period with an empty-net marker at 19:10.
Laviolette saluted his team's ability to stick with the game plan even when frustration could have colored its third period performance.
"We didn't start taking penalties," he said. "The third period was good, but so were the first and second. They were no different. They just kept their eye on the ball for 60 minutes. It was a real solid 60."
Goalie Pekka Rinne (11-5-4) made 13 saves to snap a personal four-game losing streak. Perhaps the only negative for the Predators came when center Mike Fisher departed in the second period with a lower-body injury after being checked into the boards by Coyotes center Martin Hanzal. There was no post-game update on Fisher's status.
Ekman-Larsson scored the first goal for Arizona, which opened a five-game road trip, on a power play at 17:40 of the first period. But the Coyotes simply couldn't hold back Nashville's relentless attack.
"Our forecheck did a great job," Predators defenseman Roman Josi said. "We had a lot of chances."
NOTES: Arizona RWs Shane Doan and Steve Downie (upper-body injuries) missed their fourth and ninth games, respectively. ... Nashville recalled C Cody Bass from Milwaukee of the AHL, where he amassed four assists and 45 penalty minutes in 19 games. Bass has two goals and three assists in 49 NHL games with Ottawa and Columbus. ... The Coyotes scratched LW John Scott and D Stefan Elliott. ... The Predators scratched LW Colin Wilson (lower-body injury) and D Anthony Bitetto.
Top Game Performances
Arizona |
|
Nashville |
Kyle Chipchura 1 |
Points |
Filip Forsberg 3 |
Kyle Chipchura 1 |
Goals |
Filip Forsberg 2 |
Mikkel Boedker 1 |
Assists |
Shea Weber 3 |
Oliver Ekman-Larsson 1 |
Power Play Goals |
Calle Jarnkrok 1 |
N/A |
Short Handed Goals |
N/A |
Mike Smith .900 |
Save Percentage |
Pekka Rinne .867 |
Mike Smith 36 |
Saves |
Pekka Rinne 13 |
Team Stats Summary
Team |
Shots |
Goals |
Power Play |
Penalty Kill |
Penalty Mins |
Face Offs Won |
Arizona
|
15 |
2 |
1-2 |
1-2 |
4 |
34 |
Nashville
|
41 |
5 |
1-2 |
1-2 |
4 |
24 |
Upcoming Games
-
Nashville will play their next game at home against Florida. The Predators have a W/L % of .417 after a win and .667 after a loss.
-
Arizona will play their next game on the road against Detroit. The Coyotes have a W/L % of .538 after a win and .545 after a loss.