Nashville 4, Phoenix 2
When: 8:00 PM ET, Monday, November 25, 2013
Where: Bridgestone Arena, Nashville, Tennessee
Referees:
Greg Kimmerly, Wes McCauley
Linesmen:
Shane Heyer, Bryan Pancich
Attendance:
15728
By SportsDirect Inc.
Predators 4, Coyotes 2: Gabriel Bourque capped a three-goal first period with what turned out to be the game-winning tally and host Nashville held off Phoenix.
Nick Spaling and Mike Fisher also scored in the opening period and captain Shea Weber added an empty-net goal to lift the Predators to their fourth win in five games. Rookie Marek Mazanec turned aside 29 shots in his seventh consecutive start.
Antoine Vermette and Tim Kennedy scored under 3 1/2 minutes apart in the second period for the Coyotes, who have dropped three straight (0-2-1) for the first time this season. Mike Smith made 25 saves and allowed at least three goals for the fifth straight start.
Nashville jumped on the Coyotes in the opening perod, getting on the scoreboard only 62 seconds into the contest when Spaling put home a juicy rebound of Matt Cullen's shot. Fisher buried a one-timer just over eight minutes later before a cutting Bourque tucked a backhander past Smith off a slick pass from Viktor Stalberg with 1:33 left in the period.
Vermette got the Coyotes on the board 9 1/2 minutes into the second, sliding a soft wrister from the right faceoff dot that managed to get past Mazanec. Kennedy registered his first goal of the season with seven minutes left in the period, converting a backhander in front to make it 3-2. Phoenix outshot the Predators 12-5 in the third in a bid for the equalizer before Weber ended its comeback hopes.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Coyotes captain Shane Doan suffered a lower-body injury in the second period and did not return, bringing an end to his eight-game point streak. ... Predators RW Patric Hornqvist sat out the contest due to an upper-body injury sustained in Saturday's loss to the New York Rangers. ... Coyotes C Martin Hanzal, who was hurt in Saturday's loss to Anaheim, was back in the lineup and had an assist and a team-high six shots on goal.
Top Game Performances
| Phoenix |
|
Nashville |
|
Mikkel Boedker 1 |
Points |
Gabriel Bourque 1 |
|
Mikkel Boedker 1 |
Goals |
Gabriel Bourque 1 |
|
Kyle Chipchura 1 |
Assists |
Matt Cullen 1 |
|
N/A |
Power Play Goals |
N/A |
|
N/A |
Short Handed Goals |
N/A |
|
Mike Smith .893 |
Save Percentage |
Marek Mazanec .935 |
|
Mike Smith 25 |
Saves |
Marek Mazanec 29 |
Team Stats Summary
| Team |
Shots |
Goals |
Power Play |
Penalty Kill |
Penalty Mins |
Face Offs Won |
| Phoenix
|
31 |
2 |
0-1 |
0-0 |
5 |
23 |
| Nashville
|
29 |
4 |
0-0 |
1-1 |
7 |
30 |
Upcoming Games
-
Nashville will play their next game on the road against Columbus. The Predators have a W/L % of .455 after a win and .538 after a loss.
-
Phoenix will play their next game on the road against Minnesota. The Coyotes have a W/L % of .600 after a win and .556 after a loss.
For more information, contact us