Juuse Saros made 26 saves through 65 minutes, but it wasn’t enough as the Nashville Predators fell 2-1 in a shootout to the New York Rangers on Saturday night at Bridgestone Arena. The result gives the Preds points in 13 of 16 home games this season and puts their overall record at 13-12-5.
Both goaltenders – Saros for the Preds and Henrik Lundqvist for the Rangers – turned in solid efforts, each holding the opposition to one regulation goal with the New York netminder turning aside 31 Predators chances on the night. Saros was especially impressive in the first 20 minutes of his fifth NHL start, making eight saves to keep his team in the game until they found the equalizer.
“I didn’t think we played very well in the first period; I thought we got a lot better in the second half of the game,” Head Coach Peter Laviolette said. “But the first period, for me, we turned the puck over too many times at their blue line. They have such good speed and good transitions, we knew we couldn’t do that. I think we did a better job of managing the puck in the second period and certainly in the third period.”
“We got scored on first in the last couple of games, but we have to give the other team credit,” defenseman Ryan Ellis said. “They’re working hard, they’re trying to make plays and score goals, too. Tonight was a good sign. [The Rangers] have a high-power attack; they score a lot of goals in this League, and [Saros] did a great job in net to hold that team to one goal and then go to a shootout.”
After giving up the first goal, Preds Captain Mike Fisher scored his 100th goal as a member of the Preds, beating Lundqvist at 9:22 of the middle frame to even the score at 1-1, his fourth goal in the last three games. The goaltenders stood tall the rest of the way and through overtime until the Rangers scored twice in the shootout to ice it.
“Both goalies had to be good,” Laviolette said. “I thought Juuse did an excellent job, especially early on against a team like that with so much speed and so much of an attack, a dynamic attack off the rush and off of transition that leads to a lot of opportunities.”
Nashville will now turn their attention to the road and a game in Philadelphia on Monday as they look for improvement away from home.
“We have to find ways to win and get rolling and move up in the standings,” Fisher said. “We know we can be better. We have to be better. [We] have to get back to the way we were playing a few weeks ago, and start getting some wins. We’re a confident group, and we have the guys in here to do it. We’re going to pick it up, and just keep improving and getting better.”
Notes:
Preds defenseman P.K. Subban missed Saturday’s game with an upper-body injury and is listed as day-to-day.
Defenseman Petter Granberg took Subban’s spot in the lineup and finished with four hits in 9:11 of ice time.
The Preds are set to head east as they prepare for a back-to-back set in Philadelphia and New Jersey, beginning Monday night against the Flyers.
Pete Weber’s Post Game Report
