Predators pound Canucks, 7-1
VANCOUVER, British Columbia -- Defenseman P.K. Subban scored two goals on a pair of strange plays to help the Nashville Predators defeat the Vancouver Canucks 7-1 Wednesday night.
Subban's first goal was a fluttering shot from the faceoff circle that opened the scoring in the first period. His second was a slap shot from center ice that gave the Predators a 3-0 advantage early in the second period.
Craig Smith had a goal and two assists while Kevin Fiala and Filip Forsberg added a goal and an assist for the Predators, who are 9-1-2 in their past 12 games. Viktor Arvidsson and Calle Jarnkrok also scored for Nashville (19-7-4). Ryan Johansen had two assists in his return after missing the past three games due to an upper-body injury.
Alexander Burmistrov scored for the Canucks (14-14-4), who lost their fourth consecutive game. Henrik Sedin collected his 800th NHL assist.
Nashville goaltender Pekka Rinne stopped 25 shots. Vancouver goalie Anders Nilsson made 41 saves.
The game was just 93 seconds old when Canucks defenseman Michael Del Zotto failed to clear the puck, allowing Subban to pick it up along the boards. Subban took an innocent-looking shot that Nilsson never saw. It floated over defenseman Derrick Pouliot and sailed over the goaltender's shoulder.
Arvidsson made it 2-0 when Nashville caught the Canucks on a two-on-none short-handed breakaway at 14:38. Defenseman Roman Josi passed from deep in the Nashville zone to Johansen behind the Vancouver defense. Johansen skated in on Nilsson, then fed Arvidsson, who tipped the puck home.
The Canucks thought they had scored with 51 seconds left in the period, but a video replay review showed Thomas Vanek was offside.
Subban scored another unexpected goal at 3:05 of the second period. His shot from center ice hit Nilsson's glove before going into net.
Burmistrov scored for Vancouver on a power play at 5:01. He knocked a Sedin pass out of the air, then slipped it past Rinne.
The Predators restored their three-goal lead on a power play just 59 seconds later. Forsberg's cross-ice pass hit Vancouver's Michael Chaput and deflected into the net. It was Forsberg's team-leading 15th goal of the season.
The Predators scored three times in 3:49 in the third period. Smith made it 5-1 on a shot to the short side at 8:48, then Fiala scored his sixth of the season on a rebound at 11:57. Nilsson smashed his goalie stick on the cross bar afterward. Just 40 seconds later, Jarnkrok scored on a pass from Forsberg.
NOTES: RW Nikolay Goldobin returned to the Canucks' lineup after being a healthy scratch for two games. ... It was the 13th time this season Vancouver allowed four or more goals. ... Vancouver has allowed a goal on the first shot of the game five times this season. ... D Alex Biega and C Nic Dowd were scratches for the Canucks. ... LW Scott Hartnell, out 13 games with a lower-body injury, returned to the Nashville lineup. ... Predators C Kyle Turris played despite leaving practice Monday after taking a puck in the face. ... The Predators scratched D Anthony Bitetto, RW Miikka Salomaki and LW Cody McLeod.