Predators use fast start to beat Oilers

[November 12, 2014]  NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- The first period of a team's first home game after a lengthy road trip is often fruitless.

Given that the Nashville Predators entered Tuesday night's game with only five first-period markers in 14 games, the odds that they would play from behind against the Edmonton Oilers appeared to be pretty good.

But like most other projections and theories during the first month of the NHL season, Nashville defied them -- emphatically.

Jumping out to a 3-0 lead after the opening 20 minutes, the Predators stayed atop the Central Division with a 3-2 decision over the Oilers at sold-out Bridgestone Arena.

Centers Filip Forsberg and Mike Ribeiro each had a goal and an assist for the Predators (10-3-2), who notched their third straight win in their first home game since Oct. 25. Nashville went 4-2-0 on a six-game swing, capping it with a 2-1 win over St. Louis Saturday night.

The annual CMA Awards put the Predators on the road for nearly two weeks, but they've continued to strum a winning tune.

"Usually after long road trips, you're a little bit flat in the first period," Ribeiro said. "But we were aggressive."
 

Almost immediately, Nashville stormed the Edmonton zone, peppering goalkeeper Viktor Fasth (2-3-1) with 17 first-period shots. The Predators found the net's backside at 2:51 as Ribeiro stuffed home the rebound of left winger James Neal's shot for his fourth goal.

Center Matt Cullen made it 2-0 at 9:21 with an acrobatic tally, beating Fasth to a loose puck and swatting home a backhander while falling on his belly.

"I saw that the puck was going wide and it came off the boards pretty hard," Cullen said. "I thought I would have a good chance to throw it back on net. A lot of times, you can beat the goalie back to the post, and that's what happened."

The 20-year-old Forsberg, who drew the secondary assist on Ribeiro's goal, capped the Predators' dominant first period with his seventh goal at 19:06. Forsberg's 10-foot wrist shot, taken from the goal line extended right, somehow squeezed between the post and Fasth's right pad.

It was the sixth goal in five games for Forsberg, who has scored points in six straight games. He leads all NHL rookies in points with 17 in 15 games and leads the league in plus-minus rating at plus-16.

"I was pretty tired, so I just shoveled it at the net," Forsberg said of his goal. "I was fortunate that it took a good bounce and it just went in off his glove and over his pad."

That was all for Fasth, who was replaced by Ben Scrivens as the second period started. Scrivens stopped all 18 shots he faced, and the Oilers (6-9-1) seemed to find their legs.

Left winger Benoit Pouliot's 35-foot wrister from the left faceoff circle beat goalie Pekka Rinne 31 seconds into the second period, getting Edmonton on the board. Right winger Nail Yakupov converted a feed by left winger David Perron at the goalmouth at 14:42, pulling the Oilers within a goal.

But Edmonton couldn't crack Rinne in the third as he notched nine of his 21 saves in that period, improving his record to 10-2-1 and sending the Oilers home with a 2-3-0 mark on their road trip.

"It is always winning or misery and when you don't get the points, you leave upset," Edmonton coach Dallas Eakins said. "I thought we settled down after the first period and got our feet underneath us, but (three goals) is too far a hole to dig in this league."

Nashville coach Peter Laviolette would have preferred that his team add on to its big early lead, but was pleased with how it protected its lead over the final 20 minutes.

"We had some good chances and we pressured the puck, but we did it in a smart manner," he said of the third period. "We didn't allow much against us. Sometimes, you have to win a game 3-2."

NOTES: Edmonton LW Taylor Hall (knee) missed his fourth straight game with an MCL injury sustained Nov. 1 against Vancouver. Hall skated on Monday, but isn't expected to return until at least Sunday night, when the Oilers host Arizona. ... Nashville C Mike Fisher (Achilles tendon), who was injured in July, could be ready to return in two weeks, according to general manager David Poile. Fisher has been skating with the team for nearly a month. ... Edmonton LW David Perron skipped practice Monday for what the team called a maintenance day, but was in the lineup Tuesday night on the second line. ... Predators C Colin Wilson (lower-body injury) didn't play, missing his first game of the year. LW Gabriel Bourque took his place in the lineup, skating on the third line.

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