Wild top Preds for 6th straight win
NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Behind another good game from goalie Devan Dubnyk, the Minnesota Wild continued their season-long winning streak Thursday night.
Stopping 34 shots, Dubnyk led Minnesota to its sixth straight win, a 5-2 decision over the Nashville Predators in Bridgestone Arena.
In upping his record to 15-6-3, Dubnyk continued his season-long string of not allowing more than three goals in a game. By doing so, he enabled the Wild to up their record to 17-8-4.
Nashville (13-12-4), which was hoping to build off a 6-3 win Tuesday night in which it scored the last six goals, instead tasted just its third regulation loss at home this season. It fell to 2-4-1 in December.
Pekka Rinne made 14 saves on 17 shots for the Predators, which allowed at least three goals for a ninth straight game.
After breaking a tie with two goals in the final 90 seconds of the third period, Minnesota managed a measly nine shots on net in the last two periods. But it survived a Nashville power play just past the period's halfway point and a sixth attacker in the final 1:25.
Eric Staal sealed the verdict with his second goal of the game into an empty net at 19:04, and Mikael Granlund followed suit at 19:39.
Minnesota initiated scoring on a power-play marker by defenseman Jonas Brodin. His wrister from between the faceoff circles beat Pekka Rinne at 10:20 of the first period for his third goal of the season.
Nashville tied it at 12:04 when Ryan Ellis boomed a slapper from just above the right faceoff circle, beating Dubnyk to the stick side for his fourth goal.
The Wild responded with two goals in a 29-second span late in the period. Charlie Coyle snapped the tie with a rebound tally at 18:37 for his team-high 10th goal, and Staal made it 3-1 by walking into the slot unfettered and zinging a wrister through Rinne's legs.
Mike Fisher brought the Predators within a goal at 8:55 of the second period with a tap-in tally at the left goalpost on the power play. James Neal's cross-ice pass set up Fisher's third goal in two games and his eighth of the season.
NOTES: Minnesota entered the game tied for last in the NHL in power-play chances with 79. It scored its first man-advantage goal in nine games. ... Nashville's plus-23 goal differential at home entering Thursday's action ranked third in the NHL. By contrast, it has been outscored by 20 goals in going 3-9-2 on the road. ... The Wild scratched LW Teemu Pulkkinen and D Nate Prosser. ... Predators scratches were D Petter Granberg and C Reid Boucher.