Predators rally past Blues
NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Down 3-0 less than two minutes into the second period Tuesday night, the Nashville Predators rallied with six unanswered goals to notch a 6-3 win over the St. Louis Blues at Bridgestone Arena.
In winning for just the second time in six December games, Nashville (13-11-4) tallied four times in the third period, giving it its first win this season in nine games in which it entered the third period trailing.
Ryan Johansen tied it at 3:04 with a wrister, moments before the Predators were to go on the power play. As Colin Wilson was being tripped, he was able to nudge the puck to Johansen, who ripped it home from the left faceoff circle.
Mike Fisher gave Nashville the lead for good at 9:02, slotting Wilson's pass from behind the net past Jake Allen for his sixth goal. Mike Ribeiro tacked on a rebound marker at 10:31, his fourth of the year.
Fisher wrapped up the scoring with an empty-netter at 18:38.
Allen (14-6-3), who was pulled for Carter Hutton after the final goal, made 28 saves on 33 shots. Pekka Rinne (12-7-4) stopped 23 shots to pick up the win.
St. Louis (16-10-4) fell to 4-9-1 on the road, finishing its four-game road trip with a 1-3-0 mark.
After Nashville carried the play to St. Louis over the first period's first 10 minutes, the Blues scored first. Kevin Shattenkirk's point wrister deflected off Predators defenseman Roman Josi in front of the net and eluded Rinne at 10:12. It was Shattenkirk's seventh goal.
Ryan Reaves made it 2-0 at 16:41 by roofing a wrister from the slot, courtesy of Kyle Brodziak's feed from behind the net. It was just the second goal for Reaves.
The Blues upped the advantage to 3-0 only 1:49 into the second period. With James Neal off for slashing Vladimir Tarasenko, defenseman Brad Hunt one-timed Tarasenko's cross-ice pass for his second goal in 24 career games.
Neal got that goal back at 4:07 by beating Jake Allen to the glove side with a wrister off Ryan Johansen's faceoff win, his team-high 12th marker of the season.
Filip Forsberg followed at 6:22 with just his third goal of the season, a wrister that bounced off the ice and past Allen to make it 3-2. Forsberg broke an eight-game goal drought.
NOTES: St. Louis LW David Perron skated in his 600th NHL game Tuesday night and drew a start on a line with Alexander Steen and Paul Stastny. ... Nashville D Ryan Ellis and C Colton Sissons returned Tuesday night after missing eight and seven games, respectively, with upper-body injuries. ... The Blues scratched D Carl Gunnarsson, RW Ty Rattie and RW Dmitrij Jaskin. ... Predators' scratches were D Petter Granberg and C Reid Boucher.