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National Hockey League
Nashville 3, Ottawa 2
When: 8:00 PM ET, Tuesday, February 25, 2020
Where: Bridgestone Arena, Nashville, Tennessee
Referees: Chris Lee, Furman South
Linesmen: Travis Gawryletz, Ryan Gibbons
Attendance: 17205

Nashville's Ryan Ellis and Viktor Arvidsson netted second-period goals, both on the power play, and the Predators beat the visiting Ottawa Senators 3-2 on Tuesday night.

Colin Blackwell also scored for the Predators, who topped Ottawa for the sixth straight time in Nashville and are 9-1-3 in their past 13 against the Senators. Ellis added an assist on Arvidsson's tally for a two-point night.

Juuse Saros stopped 33 shots to earn the win. AHL affiliate netminder Connor Ingram -- an All-Star for the Milwaukee Admirals -- served as Nashville's backup with top goalie Pekka Rinne out due to illness.

Thomas Chabot and Filip Chlapik registered goals, and Craig Anderson made 30 saves for Ottawa, which lost its fourth straight (0-3-1) and slipped to 6-18-6 on the road this season.

On Monday night in a 4-3 overtime loss to the Blue Jackets in Columbus, Ottawa played short-handed, utilizing just 11 forwards and six defensemen. The Senators ended their brief two-game road trip down two more forwards injured in Columbus -- All-Star Anthony Duclair and Colin White.

Absent for the previous 43 games, winger Bobby Ryan played for Ottawa for the first time since Nov. 16. The New Jersey native entered the joint NHL/NHLPA player assistance program Nov. 20 to battle alcohol addiction.

Chabot, who played almost 33 minutes Monday, collected a rebound and fired home his sixth goal at 4:16 in the first period to open the scoring. However, Blackwell tied it 20 seconds later after Ryan Johansen's steal kept the puck in the offensive zone.

Ottawa took a 2-1 lead into the dressing room after a shot by Rudolfs Balcers -- who missed the Columbus game because his playing gear didn't arrive with him -- bounced over to Chlapik, who potted his third goal at 18:34. Chlapik was recalled from Belleville of the AHL on Tuesday morning.

Gridding 27th on the power play entering the game, Nashville notched two man-advantage goals in a span of 4:26 to grab its first lead. At 5:17 of the second period, Ellis netted his first goal since Dec. 21. Since then, an upper-body injury put him on the injured list for a 20-game stint starting Jan. 1.

Arvidsson's tally in close at 9:43 put Nashville on top.

Ottawa pulled Anderson with under three minutes remaining for the extra skater, but Nashville held strong for its second straight victory to start a five-game homestand.

--Field Level Media

Top Game Performances
 
Ottawa   Nashville
Thomas Chabot 1 Points Ryan Ellis 2
Thomas Chabot 1 Goals Ryan Ellis 1
Rudolfs Balcers 1 Assists Ryan Ellis 1
N/A Power Play Goals Ryan Ellis 1
N/A Short Handed Goals N/A
Craig Anderson .909 Save Percentage Juuse Saros .943
Craig Anderson 30 Saves Juuse Saros 33
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Shots Goals Power Play Penalty Kill Penalty Mins Face Offs Won
Ottawa 35 2 0-2 1-3 6 16
Nashville 33 3 2-3 2-2 4 40
Upcoming Games
  • Nashville will play their next game at home against Calgary. The Predators have a W/L % of .484 after a win and .516 after a loss.
  • Ottawa will play their next game at home against Vancouver. The Senators have a W/L % of .238 after a win and .372 after a loss.