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 But first, the Predators, who had not been playing well, took
advantage of a tired Boston team to score a 3-2 victory over the
Bruins on Monday night.
"Obviously, a huge game for us [Tuesday]," defenseman Roman Josi
said after he scored two power-play goals and left winger Viktor
Arvidsson tallied the winner with 4:56 left as the Predators won for
just the third time in 10 games.
"I think we might have a same record right now or a same amount of
points, and those division games are huge," Josi said.
The Predators rested goaltender Pekke Rinne in preparation for the
Blackhawks, going with backup Carter Hutton - and the UMass-Lowell
product did what he had to do facing just 17 shots and going to 3-1
on the season, in his second appearance since Nov. 1.
"I can't control when I'm going to play or what's going to happen,"
he said. "I know I'm playing with one of the best goalies in the
world."
Arvidsson, playing in his fifth game back from the minor leagues,
scored on a solo rush for the win, Nashville's first regulation
victory at TD Garden since 2003.
The Bruins lost in regulation for the first time in nine games and
saw their five-game series home winning streak over Nashville
snapped.
Arvidsson, who scored for the second straight game, carried the puck
down the left side and took advantage of defenseman Kevan Miller
falling down before beating goaltender Jonas Gustavsson to give the
Predators their first lead of the game despite a decided shot
advantage.
"That was a great play," Josi said.
Josi tied the game at 1-1 and 2-2 -- the Predators (14-8-5)
outshooting the tired Bruins, 33-17.
Josi was also involved in his first NHL fight, tangling with Boston
left winger Brad Marchand.
"It was OK," he said. "It was a short fight. It was my first fight
so I just tried to not get beat up."
The Bruins, 1-0-2 on a trip through western Canada, traveled home
from Vancouver on Sunday and go right back on the road to visit the
Montreal Canadiens on Wednesday night.
"It's one of those games you kind of have to grind out," Miller
said. "I think we were doing a pretty good job and unfortunately it
didn't work out."
The Bruins went a stretch of 34:09 from the first to the third
periods between even-strength shots on goal -- a span filled with
penalties but also with plenty of even time as well.
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"Those games are always tough when you're coming back home from the
west coast, but you've got to find a way and try to win the game,"
Gustavsson said. "We were close tonight. They scored a late goal
there and otherwise we could have won the game."
Miller and right winger Loui Eriksson (power play) scored for the
Bruins.
Gustavsson came up big earlier in the third period, stopping left
winger Colin Wilson on a 2-on-1 and then, after the Bruins (14-9-3)
killed their second penalty of the period, stopping right winger
James Neal from directly in front.
The game was a chippy affair that produced 16 penalties good for 44
minutes.
Bruins center Patrice Bergeron notched an assist in the game, his
575th career point, tying him with the great Milt Schmidt for 11th
place on the team's all-time scoring list.
"Did I [tie him]? I didn't know that," he said. "Obviously, Milt is
someone that I respect a lot. He's a legend with the Bruins and a
true gentleman."
NOTES: Bruins C Joonas Kemppainen left in the first period, skated
two shifts in the second and didn't play the rest of the game. ...
Bruins LW Brad Marchand, speared in the groin by Vancouver's Brandon
Prust on Saturday night, resulting in Prust earning a $5,000 fine
and calling it the "best money I ever spent," reacted Monday,
saying, "I think part of my game is to get under people's skin, and
I thought that he played with a lot more class in his game ... but
clearly he doesn't have that integrity that I think a lot of people
thought he had." ... Nashville D Shea Weber was named the NHL's
Second Star after collecting six points, including his first career
hat trick, in three games last week. ... Boston D Adam McQuaid was
doubtful with a sore wrist but played, while D Dennis Seidenberg and
RW Jimmy Hayes (no goals in 12 games) were healthy scratches for the
second straight game. ... EPIX was at TD Garden to start filming for
the upcoming Winter Classic series on the Bruins and Montreal
Canadiens.
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