Predators storm back to stun Stars
NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- About to head into a five-day break with a pair of poorly played home losses, the Nashville Predators stormed back from a three-goal deficit to hand the Dallas Stars a potentially crushing loss.
Scoring three unanswered goals in the first 6:02 of the third period, Nashville bagged a 5-3 win Sunday at sold-out Bridgestone Arena.
Roman Josi's second goal of the game 45 seconds into the third started that outburst, cutting Dallas' lead to 3-2. Josi unleashed a power-play one-timer past Kari Lehtonen for his fourth goal in the past three games.
Calle Jarnkrok, who was bloodied in one of three first-period brawls between the Central Division rivals, tied it at 4:40 with a wrister from the right faceoff circle, his 11th marker of the season. Defenseman P.K. Subban picked up an assist for his 300th career point.
Filip Forsberg gave the Predators (27-21-8) the lead for good at 6:02 with a short-handed goal on a breakaway, his 16th of the season.
Mike Fisher iced it with an empty-netter at 18:22, his 14th.
Pekka Rinne (22-14-6) stopped 18 of 21 shots for the win. Lehtonen (12-17-8) made 31 saves on 35 shots as Dallas (22-25-10) lost for the fifth time in six games and remained six points out of the Western Conference's last wild-card spot.
After a raucous start that included three fights in the first 10:03, Dallas opened the scoring on the power play with a beautiful wrister to the top right corner by Jamie Benn at 12:24, his 18th goal of the season.
Following minors to Ryan Ellis and Matt Irwin that gave the Stars their second 5-on-3 man-advantage of the period, Patrick Sharp made it 2-0 at 15:46 with a rebound marker off Tyler Seguin's slapper. It was Sharp's seventh goal.
Devin Shore upped the Dallas lead to 3-0 at 12:02 of the second period with another power-play tally, his ninth of the season.
Nashville finally got on the board at 15:25 on Josi's wrister through rush-hour traffic at the front of the net, his eighth goal. But a chance to draw within a goal eight seconds later was missed when Craig Smith got a penalty shot and fired his wrister into the pads of Lehtonen.
NOTES: Dallas D Johnny Oduya (ankle) and C Jason Spezza (upper-body) missed their 11th and fifth games, respectively, due to injury. ... Despite melting down in the second period Saturday and yielding four goals in a 7-4 defeat to Florida, Nashville has still allowed the fewest goals of any NHL team in the second with 41. ... The Stars scratched D Patrik Nemeth and RW Jiri Hudler. ... Predators scratches were D Anthony Bitetto, C Colton Sissons, D Brad Hunt and LW Cody McLeod. LW Harry Zolnierczyk drew into the lineup for McLeod, out with an undisclosed injury.