Granlund's hat trick leads Wild past Predators
ST. PAUL, Minn. -- Mikael Granlund registered his second career hat trick and Devan Dubnyk made 41 saves in his first start since Nov. 14 to lead the Minnesota Wild to a 4-2 win over the Nashville Predators on Friday night at Xcel Energy Center.
Matt Dumba's second-period goal stood up as the game-winner and the Wild defenseman added an assist in the first game of a back-to-back, home-and-home series between the two clubs.
P.K. Subban and Kyle Turris scored for the Predators but goaltender Pekka Rinne was Nashville's best player, making 34 saves to play his part in a tremendous goaltending battle which saw the teams combine for 81 shots.
Minnesota led 2-1 after one period as Dubnyk and Rinne matched each other nearly save for save past the game's halfway mark before Dumba gave the Wild a two-goal cushion.
Dumba received the puck at the right point, evaded Nashville's Miikka Salomaki with a move to his left and fired a shot through traffic beating Rinne at 13:14.
Minnesota took a 1-0 lead on Granlund's first of the night 7:34 into the contest. It came 23 seconds before Nashville registered its first shot.
On that goal, Dumba's spun away from a defender before sending a pass to Granlund, whose one-timer beat Rinne just seconds after Turris swept the puck out of the crease behind Rinne to save a goal.
The Predators tied it less than three minutes later when Alexei Emelin's slapshot from left point caromed off the end wall all the way to his defensive partner Subban, who wristed a shot from the top of the right circle that trickled through Dubnyk at the 10:16 mark.
The tie was short-lived as Granlund picked up his second of the game and 10th of the season 53 seconds later. Granlund crossed the Nashville line and worked a give-and-go with Jared Spurgeon before going top shelf on Rinne 21 seconds into the power play for his third goal in two games.
Granlund completed his hat trick with an empty-net goal with 50.3 seconds remaining.
NOTES: Friday's game marked the first time Nashville G Pekka Rinne has allowed more than one goal on the road since Nov. 16, the Predators last visit to Minnesota. ... Wild RW Nino Niederreiter skated on Friday, although not with the team. Niederreiter has missed three games since sustaining a lower-body injury last week at Florida and is not expected to play against in Saturday's re-match. ... The Predators lost the first game of a back-to-back for the first time this season (4-1-0). ... Minnesota's 18 first-period shots were a season high.