Ellis scores 2, Preds hold on to beat Flames
CALGARY, Alberta -- Ryan Ellis scored twice and the Nashville Predators held on to edge the Calgary Flames 4-3 at the Scotiabank Saddledome on Thursday.
It was the first career two-goal game for Ellis in his sixth season with Nashville.
James Neal and Filip Forsberg also scored for the Predators (21-17-7), who rebounded from a 1-0 shutout loss of their own they suffered on Tuesday in Vancouver to the Canucks.
Viktor Arvidsson chipped in with two assists, while rookie goalie Juuse Saros (5-3-1) made 32 saves.
Kris Versteeg and Michael Frolik counted goals 17 seconds apart in the third period, while Sean Monahan scored with 47.2 seconds remaining to pull the Flames (24-21-3) within one goal.
Dougie Hamilton had two assists, while Calgary goalie Chad Johnson finished with 17 saves.
The Predators head north to play the Oilers in Edmonton on Friday, while the Flames have a day off to prepare to face the Oilers at home on Saturday.
Forsberg took a breakaway pass from Arvidsson and snapped a shot to the short side past Johnson at 8:21 of the third to put the Predators up 4-0.
Versteeg's point shot then deflected off Nashville defenseman Yannick Weber's stick and past Saros for a power-play goal at 16:17.
Frolik fired a shot past Saros 17 seconds later with Matthew Tkachuk providing a screen in front,
Monahan then redirected a pass from Johnny Gaudreau on net and then put the rebound past Saros in the game's final minute to round out the scoring.
Neal opened the scoring for Nashville at 4:59 of the first period when he picked up a rebound in the slot and slid a shot through Johnson's five-hole. Anthony Bitetto took the initial shot from the point and it was tipped on net by Mike Fisher, who recorded his 300th career NHL assist on the play.
The Flames had a great chance to pull even later in the period when they had a two-man advantage for 47 seconds, but Saros made a pair of nice saves to turn aside consecutive shots from the slot off the stick of Sean Monahan.
Harry Zolnierczyk recorded just his second assist of the season on a goal by Ellis at 11:23 of the second period. Ellis took a pass from Zolnierczyk and snapped a shot that went off Johnson's glove and into the net.
Later in the middle frame, Saros made a nice kick save to stop a shot by Michael Frolik, who was set up in front by linemate Mikael Backlund.
Ellis then put the Predators up 3-0 thanks to a power play goal at 18:58 of the second when he blasted a slap shot from the high slot through Johnson's legs.
NOTES: After recording zero points in his past 10 games and two goals in 16 contests, C Sam Bennett was a healthy scratch for the Flames. ... LW Micheal Ferland made his return to Calgary's lineup after missing the past three games with a lower-body injury. ... RW Garnet Hathaway missed his second straight game with an upper-body injury, while D Brett Kulak also sat out as a healthy scratch for Calgary. ... D Alexandre Carrier made his NHL debut for the Predators in a 1-0 loss Tuesday in Vancouver. He finished with 10:49 of ice time and one blocked shot. ... Predators D P.K. Subban missed his 16th straight game because of an upper-body injury, while D Brad Hunt and C Colton Sissons sat out as healthy scratches. ... Hunt was claimed off waivers from the St. Louis Blues on Tuesday. ... Referee Tom Kowal was honored before puck drop for working his 1,000th NHL game.