Hornqvist's pair power Penguins past Predators
PITTSBURGH -- Patric Hornqvist scored twice as the Pittsburgh Penguins reeled off four unanswered goals Tuesday en route to a 4-2 win over the Nashville Predators at PPG Paints Arena.
The Penguins (31-13-5) broke a two-game losing streak by winning their first game after the All-Star break.
Nashville (24-18-8) was 7-1-1 in its last nine games before the break. The Predators became the final team this season to lose a regulation game after scoring first. They had been 15-0-5 when they got the first goal.
Calle Jarnkrok, who had a goal and an assist, gave Nashville the 1-0 lead before Chris Kunitz, Trevor Daley and Hornqvist (twice) scored for a 4-1 Pittsburgh lead through two periods.
Hornqvist, who previously played for the Predators, has three goals and five points in six games against former team.
Colin Wilson brought the Predators within 4-2 with a power-play goal on his own rebound at 3:18 of the third.
Pittsburgh goaltender Matt Murray, who made his seventh consecutive start as he establishes himself as the No. 1 goalie ahead of Marc-Andre Fleury, stopped 37 of 39 shots. He had allowed seven goals during the team's two-game losing streak.
Predators goalie Pekka Rinne, who had been 5-1-0 with 11 goals allowed in his previous six starts, made 34 saves.
Nashville took a 1-0 lead at 14:04 of the first. After the Predators got a lot of bodies and pressure around the crease, Jarnkrok slid a rebound under Murray's pads.
The Penguins tied it 3:15 later. A shot by Ian Cole ricocheted off of Jarnkrok and out to Kunitz, who whipped a shot from the slot over Rinne's glove.
A Daley slap shot from the top of the right circle at 3:10 of the second gave Pittsburgh a 2-1 lead.
A wraparound goal by Hornqvist at 11:07 of the second increased Pittsburgh's lead to 3-1.
Hornqvist got his second of the night on a power play at 16:12 of the second. He swatted a fluttering puck over Rinne's glove for a 4-1 lead.
NOTES: The Penguins activated D Kris Letang (six games, left leg) from injured reserve. Letang returned to the lineup after missing 18 games because of three different injuries. ... Pittsburgh placed C Evgeni Malkin on injured reserve. He missed his second straight game because of a lower-body injury, although coach Mike Sullivan said Malkin continues to make progress. ... Pittsburgh RW Carter Rowney made his NHL debut. ... The Penguins scratched C Matt Cullen (six games, foot), RW Tom Kuhnhackl and D Chad Ruhwedel. ... Nashville made C Mike Ribeiro a scratch for the second game in a row and also scratched D Brad Hunt and C Derek Grant. ... Predators D Roman Josi (upper body) missed his eighth straight game. ... Nashville activated D Petter Granberg (six games, undisclosed injury) from injured reserve and assigned him to Milwaukee of the American Hockey League.