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National Hockey League
Nashville 2, Philadelphia 1
When: 7:00 PM ET, Monday, December 19, 2016
Where: Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Referees: Ghislain Hebert, Brad Watson
Linesmen: Steve Barton, Mark Shewchyk
Attendance: 19660

PHILADELPHIA -- The Nashville Predators are finally proving they have enough gas in the tank to finish the race.

Center Filip Forsberg sent the game into overtime with a third-period goal, and defenseman Ryan Ellis scored the only goal of the shootout, leading the Predators to a 2-1 win over the Philadelphia Flyers on Monday night at the Wells Fargo Center.

Pekka Rinne stopped 30 of 31 shots, and he made saves on Nick Cousins, Claude Giroux and Jakub Voracek in the skills competition to give the Predators (14-12-5) their first shootout win of the season. The Predators entered the game as the only NHL team without a victory beyond regulation (0-5).

"We needed somebody to step up because I've been struggling (in shootouts), and Elly found a way to get it by him," Predators forward Ryan Johansen said. "Then Pekka (Rinne) obviously stopped three in a row against some good shooters. So, we found a way to get it done tonight. It wasn't our best game, but we're walking out of here with two points."

Defenseman Andrew MacDonald scored the Flyers' only goal, and goaltender Steve Mason stopped 30 of 31 shots, plus two in the shootout.

The Flyers (19-11-4) dropped a second game in a row following a 10-game win streak.

"I think there's no excuse," said Mason, who became just the fourth Flyers goalie to play in his 200th game, joining Bernie Parent, Ron Hextall and Doug Favell. "We've got to find ways to come back and have energy and win a hockey game."

Flyers center Brayden Schenn said, "We played a pretty good game right from the get-go tonight. Maybe we sat back a little bit in the third period, and when you get into a shootout, anything can happen. It wasn't a bad effort at all."

After going 9-3-2 in November, the Predators had lost six of eight (2-4-2) in December before notching the win Monday night.

"Pekka was phenomenal for us," Ellis said. "I think it could have been a lot worse in that first period. He kept us in it. On the penalty kill, he made some big saves and some big blocks. If anything is going to be successful, you are going to need your goalie to be your best player. Tonight was no different. Pekks was great. We finally found a way to win a shootout."

Held to just one goal in a 2-1 shootout loss to the New York Rangers on Saturday, the Predators were 8:14 away from their second shutout defeat of the season before Forsberg scored his fourth goal of the season on a redirection.

Forsberg, who has struggled offensively this season after netting a career-high 33 goals last season, staked a spot in front of the Flyers net and deflected a point shot by defenseman Matt Irwin behind Mason for his second goal in four games.

The Flyers outshot the Predators 16-8 in the opening period and were rewarded with a 1-0 lead on MacDonald's second goal of the season. Jakub Voracek made a high-risk backhand pass to MacDonald along the offensive blue line, and MacDonald cranked a shot through traffic. The shot changed direction when it hit Ellis, and it bounced past Rinne.

It was MacDonald's first goal since Oct. 27, snapping a 17-game drought.

The Flyers entered the game without a power-play goal in their previous three games, and despite three early cracks on the man advantage, their lead remained at 1-0 entering the third period.

The Predators entered the game ranked 19th in the NHL on the penalty kill and were put to the test in the second period, successfully killing off a Flyers two-man advantage that lasted 1:24.

"We hit a couple posts, but when it's five-on-three, you almost have to score every time," Schenn said. "That's on us to make it a 2-0 hockey game."

Nashville had its own opportunity to tie the game on the power play, getting a four-minute advantage when Giroux went off for high-sticking Craig Smith in the chin. Nashville managed just four shots on the power play but went into the third period trailing by one.

NOTES: Predators D P.K. Subban did not make the trip to Philadelphia and sat out his second straight game with an upper body injury. He was replaced in the lineup by veteran Adam Pardy, who was recalled Monday from the AHL Milwaukee Admirals. ... Eleven Flyers remain from the team Predators coach Peter Laviolette last coached in Philadelphia before being fired three games into the 2013-14 season. ... The Flyers return to action on Wednesday when they face the Washington Capitals for the first time since being eliminated in the first round of last year's playoffs. ... The Predators conclude their brief two-game road trip Tuesday night in Newark against the Devils, then return home for games against the Los Angeles Kings, Minnesota Wild and Chicago Blackhawks.
Top Game Performances
 
Nashville   Philadelphia
Filip Forsberg 1 Points Andrew MacDonald 1
Filip Forsberg 1 Goals Andrew MacDonald 1
Mattias Ekholm 1 Assists Ivan Provorov 1
N/A Power Play Goals N/A
N/A Short Handed Goals N/A
Pekka Rinne .969 Save Percentage Steve Mason .968
Pekka Rinne 31 Saves Steve Mason 30
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Shots Goals Power Play Penalty Kill Penalty Mins Face Offs Won
Nashville 31 2 0-2 3-3 6 26
Philadelphia 32 1 0-3 2-2 4 30
Upcoming Games
  • Philadelphia will play their next game at home against Washington. The Flyers have a W/L % of .579 after a win and .533 after a loss.
  • Nashville will play their next game on the road against New Jersey. The Predators have a W/L % of .308 after a win and .556 after a loss.