LDN - Sports

Rinne, Predators outlast Ducks

[November 04, 2017] ANAHEIM, Calif. -- The rematch between last season's Stanley Cup Western Conference finalists produced another exciting game, but as it was last spring, the Nashville Predators found a way to outlast the Anaheim Ducks.

Pekka Rinne made 35 saves and Roman Josi registered a goal and an assist as the Nashville Predators defeated the Anaheim Ducks 5-3 on Friday night.

Nashville (6-5-2) also received goals from Scott Hartnell, Matt Irwin, Viktor Arvidsson and P.K. Subban in breaking a two-game losing streak.

The Predators, who entered averaging only 2.3 goals per game, used net front presence throughout to defeat the short-handed Ducks. Ryan Getzlaf missed his third consecutive game with an upper-body injury and Nashville used the mismatch advantage at center to control play in front of Ducks goaltender John Gibson.

"On most nights, goalies in this league will stop shots when they see them," Irwin said. "It's our job to create havoc in front of the net and that is what we did tonight."

The number 35 was a lucky one for the Predators as Rinne, who wears number 35 and stopped 35 shots on his 35th birthday.

The Ducks continue to battle through a rash of injuries and illness that prevent them from gathering any momentum in the season's first weeks. Though they refuse to make excuses, the lack of snipers like Getzlaf and Patrick Eaves have pressed into service younger and less experienced players. Coach Randy Carlyle lamented the Ducks' slow start but gave credit to their effort in the final 20 minutes.

"I don't know if that gave us the energy or they were embarrassed with what happened in the first period. If you can't execute with the puck, it's going to be difficult to have any kind of momentum swing or any kind of change on the ice," Carlyle said. "They dug back, reached down and started to play a much more intense game. Our execution, work ethic and emotion started to get channeled in the right direction for the last 40 minutes, but you can't win in the NHL playing 40-minute hockey."

Ducks center Chris Wagner was not as complimentary about the effort against a familiar opponent.

It's embarrassing to start that way," Wagner said. "For probably the majority of games this year, it was a good wakeup call, especially against that team. It's a good team and a rivalry game. The second half I thought we played pretty well. We were involved in every aspect of the game. We have to carry that into tomorrow at San Jose."

Antoine Vermette, Hampus Lindholm and Jakob Silfverberg scored goals for Anaheim (6-6-1) and Gibson stopped 25 Nashville shots.

The Ducks rallied from a three-goal deficit late in the second period but could not find the equalizer. Lindholm's power-play goal, his second goal of the season at 19:45 of the second period, and Silfverberg's second goal of the season at 7:41 of the third period gave the Ducks an opportunity to gain at least a point, but Rinne made 12 saves in the third.

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Ducks right wing Jakob Silfverberg (right) scores a goal on Nashville Predators goalie Pekka Rinne (35) during the third period at Honda Center. The Predators won 5-3. Mandatory Credit: Kelvin Kuo-USA TODAY Sports

Subban registered an empty-net goal at 19:42 of the third period to clinch the win.

The Predators took a 1-0 lead on Hartnell's fourth goal of the season at 6:26 of the first period. Hartnell deflected a wrist shot by Josi off an odd-man rush past Gibson with Pontus Aberg drawing the secondary assist.

Nashville extended its lead to 2-0 on Josi's fourth goal of the season at 19:12 of the first period. Josi used a screen to fire a snap shot that beat Gibson low to his left side. Colton Sissons and Frederick Gaudreau registered assists.

The Predators increased their lead to 3-0 on Irwin's first goal of the season at 3:05 of the second period. Irwin's wrist shot from the left point through a screen beat a screened Gibson with Yannick Weber and Gaudreau getting assists.

Anaheim cut the margin to 3-1 on Vermette's third goal of the season at 4:24 of the second period. Nick Ritchie gained possession in the offensive zone to set up a cross-ice Ondrej Kase feed to allow Vermette to push the puck past a prone Rinne.

Nashville regained their three-goal lead at 4-1 on a power-play goal by Arvidsson, his fourth of the season at 17:20 of the second period. Arvidsson one-timed feed from Mattias Ekholm for the score with Kevin Fiala earning the secondary assist.

NOTES: Nashville scratched D Anthony Bitetto, RW Miikka Salomaki and D Samuel Girard. ... F Scott Hartnell appeared in his 1,200th NHL game. ... The Predators face the Kings in Los Angeles on Saturday and conclude their four-game road trip in Columbus on Tuesday. ... Anaheim did not dress D Korbinian Holzer, D Jaycob Megna, LW Kalle Kossila and G Reto Berra. ... Ducks D Kevin Bieksa was back in the lineup after missing four games with a hand injury.

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