Nashville 3, New Jersey 1
When: 8:00 PM ET, Saturday, February 14, 2015
Where: Bridgestone Arena, Nashville, Tennessee
Referees:
Kevin Pollock, Ghislain Hebert
Linesmen:
Brad Kovachik, Derek Amell
Attendance:
17333
By SportsDirect Inc.
Predators 3, Devils 1: Colin Wilson and Craig Smith scored 66 seconds apart late in the third period as host Nashville matched a season high with its fifth consecutive victory.
Matt Cullen matched Smith with a goal and an assist as the NHL-leading Predators improved to 24-3-1 at home. Pekka Rinne turned aside 21 shots to earn his league-high 33rd victory while improving to 14-1-1 in his last 16 starts.
Steve Bernier scored a power-play goal for New Jersey, which has registered only five tallies during its four-game losing streak. Cory Schneider made 35 saves in losing his third straight start.
The Predators swarmed the visitors in the opening 20 minutes, pouring 20 shots on goal to three for the Devils. Cullen scored the lone goal of the period, collecting a pass from Smith behind the net before skating in front and beating Schneider from the right side.
New Jersey came alive in the middle session and controlled play, finally getting the equalizer with 2:23 remaining in the period as defenseman Eric Gelinas' shot caromed off the end boards to Bernier, who lifted a backhander over Rinne for his 10th goal. Wilson finished off a tic-tac-toe passing sequence for the go-ahead tally with 3:27 remaining before Smith scored on a wraparound to ice it.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Bernier notched his seventh tally in 12 games and became the fourth member of the Devils to reach double digits in goals. ... Predators captain Shea Weber assisted on Cullen's goal for his 10th point in 11 games since the All-Star break. ... New Jersey RW Jaromir Jagr, who turns 43 on Sunday, appeared in his 1,525th career game to move into sole possession of 13th place on the all-time list.
Top Game Performances
| New Jersey |
|
Nashville |
|
Steve Bernier 1 |
Points |
Matt Cullen 2 |
|
Steve Bernier 1 |
Goals |
Matt Cullen 1 |
|
Eric Gelinas 1 |
Assists |
Matt Cullen 1 |
|
Steve Bernier 1 |
Power Play Goals |
N/A |
|
N/A |
Short Handed Goals |
N/A |
|
Cory Schneider .921 |
Save Percentage |
Pekka Rinne .955 |
|
Cory Schneider 35 |
Saves |
Pekka Rinne 21 |
Team Stats Summary
| Team |
Shots |
Goals |
Power Play |
Penalty Kill |
Penalty Mins |
Face Offs Won |
| New Jersey
|
22 |
1 |
1-2 |
2-2 |
6 |
28 |
| Nashville
|
38 |
3 |
0-2 |
1-2 |
6 |
38 |
Upcoming Games
-
Nashville will play their next game at home against San Jose. The Predators have a W/L % of .568 after a win and .895 after a loss.
-
New Jersey will play their next game at home against Buffalo. The Devils have a W/L % of .409 after a win and .353 after a loss.
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