Predators top Flames for 4th straight win

[January 28, 2016]  CALGARY, Alberta -- Nashville goaltender Carter Hutton was only busy for a few minutes Wednesday, but he saved the Predators on the tail-end of a road trip.

Hutton made a handful of tough saves during a 6-on-4 short-handed situation over a frantic final 1:30 of the game and the Predators held off the Calgary Flames 2-1.

Center Mike Ribeiro and defenseman Shea Weber provided the offense.

Defenseman Mark Giordano scored for the Flames early in the third period.

"(Carter) made some timely saves, some big saves," Predators coach Peter Laviolette said. "The barrage at the end when it was 6-on-4 was something else. He was spectacular at that point."

The Predators had to kill off a slashing penalty to center Ryan Johansen assessed with 1:30 remaining in regulation time. Giordano hit the crossbar on a shot from the point with 5.1 seconds left and Hutton made a nice blocker save on defenseman Dougie Hamilton with two seconds to go.

The Predators take a four-game winning streak into the all-star break. They are hosting this year's festivities.

The Predators (24-18-8) went perfect on a four-game road trip and are tied for fifth in the Western Conference with the San Jose Sharks at 56 points. They gave up just one goal in each of those four games.

"We're defending a lot better," Weber said. "We weren't scoring a lot of goals early on but we weren't defending well either. We were leaving our goalies out to dry a bit. We're bearing down a bit more and their play is obviously speaking for itself."

Hutton wasn't busy through the first two periods, facing four and seven shots respectively. But, the Flames poured it on in the third and hit him with 16 more shots.

Hutton was playing in only his eight game of the season. Starter Pekka Rinne has seen action in 41 contests but got the night off after playing in Vancouver the night before.

"I thought for the most part this game we did a great job of eliminating their chances through the first two periods and we knew they were going to come out in the third and make a push," said Hutton.

"They got a goal early (in the third) but we held it down. Obviously with a power play they are going to get their chances, but we held the fort and got our two points."

The Flames (21-24-3) go into break having lost three straight and four of five games, leaving them 13th in the 14-team Western Conference.

"Obviously right now we are in a bad trend where it seems game after game we have to play catchup," said Flames head coach Bob Hartley. "We're making it tough on ourselves.

"I like the effort and the will to compete. Obviously the results are not what we need them to be. We need to find a way to score more goals."

Ribeiro opened the scoring at 6:21 of the first when he took a pass from right winger Craig Smith and beat Flames goaltender Karri Ramo between the pads from the left faceoff circle.

Weber's 12th goal of the season came on the power play against the league's 29th worst penalty killing team. He tee-up a slap shot from the left side at 17:37 that Ramo was helpless to stop.

Calgary's captain responded with his own hard slap shot goal 5:38 into the third period. Giordano blasted a shot through screen past Hutton.

"I thought we generated a lot, especially in the last 10 minutes," Giordano said.

"Credit their goalie. I thought he made some huge saves, but we've got to get out of this rut. We've got to come out of the gates and get the lead.

"That's what our mindset needs to be coming out of the break."

Ramo made 22 saves on 24 shots.

NOTES: Nashville's injured are LW Colin Wilson (lower body) and RW Gabriel Bourque (upper body). Wednesday's healthy scratches for the Predators were D Anthony Bitetto and LW Eric Nystrom. ... Calgary's injured list includes LW Micheal Ferland (upper body), C Josh Jooris (undisclosed) and C Joe Colborne (undisclosed). The Flames lone healthy scratch was D Ladislav Smid. ... The game featured three of the top five shot blockers in the NHL. Flames D Kris Russell had 151 entering the night, with Predators D Roman Josi tied for third (122) and Flames D Mark Giordano alone fifth (120). ... The Flames have not made a roster move involving their AHL affiliate in Stockton since recalling C Markus Granlund and assigning G Joni Ortio on Nov. 26.

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