Predators stay hot, shut out of Flyers
PHILADELPHIA -- Center Colton Sissons, who emerged as a key playoff performer for the Nashville Predators last spring, netted the only goal 3:49 into the third period to lead the Predators to a 1-0 victory over the Philadelphia Flyers on Thursday night at the Wells Fargo Center.
Nashville goaltender Pekka Rinne (4-1-1) stopped all 28 shots he faced to earn his first shutout of the season and the 44th of his 12-year career, all with the Predators.
His biggest stop came with just under four minutes remaining in the game when he flashed his left pad to deny center Sean Couturier from the slot.
After opening the season with two losses, the Predators have gone 4-0-1 and have allowed just six goals in those five games.
The loss snapped a two-game winning streak for the Flyers (4-3-0) and marked the second time this season they have been shut out.
Goaltender Michal Neuvirth (1-2-0) took the loss despite stopping 23 shots. The Flyers went 0-for-5 on the power play.
Sissons netted six goals and six assists in 22 playoff games last season and scored a goal in Nashville's first game this season.
Early in the third period, the 23-year-old center beat Flyers defenseman Andrew MacDonald up the ice and snapped a pass from left winger Kevin Fiala for his second goal of the season.
The Flyers entered the game trailing only the Toronto Maple Leafs in goals per game (4.33) but generated only 16 shots on Rinne through the opening two periods, despite having three power plays. The Flyers' best offensive chance came with 12 seconds remaining in the second period when Rinne smothered a power-play snap shot by rookie center Nolan Patrick from about 20 feet away.
The Predators also managed only 16 shots through the first 40 minutes, which included one power play. Their most promising chance came midway through the second period when defenseman Matt Irwin rang a shot off the right post on a 3-on-2 rush.
NOTES: Flyers LW Jordan Weal was a late scratch with an upper body injury and is being listed as day-to-day. He was replaced on the second line by LW Jori Lehtera, who played alongside C Valtteri Filppula and RW Wayne Simmonds. Lehtera, 29, was acquired from the St. Louis Blues in the draft-day deal that sent Brayden Schenn to St. Louis. It was his Flyers debut. ... Predators RW Miikka Salomaki returned to the lineup in place of Pontus Aberg and played on a second line with C Calle Jarnkrok and LW Scott Hartnell. D Yannick Weber missed his third straight game with an upper-body injury but participated in Nashville's optional morning skate. ... Before the game, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman attended the unveiling of a statue of longtime Flyers owner Ed Snider, who passed away April 11, 2016. "He was a man of vision and of passion and he was extraordinarily competitive," Bettman said. "Like the statue, his accomplishments were larger than life itself." ... The Flyers play their fourth of five straight home games Saturday afternoon when the Edmonton Oilers visit. The Predators travel to New York to face the Rangers on Saturday, then return home to face the Flames on Tuesday.