Pekka Rinne #35 of the Nashville Predators acknowledges the cheering fans following a 1-0 shutout against the Boston Bruins at Bridgestone Arena on November 3, 2018 in Nashville, Tennessee. [Photo by John Russell/NHL.com]
Four different Predators scored and Pekka Rinne reached another milestone as Nashville defeated the St. Louis Blues by a 4-1 final on Wednesday night at Bridgestone Arena. The result gives the Preds a clean sweep of their three-game homestand and keeps them atop the NHL standings.
Three of those who found the back of the net on Wednesday – Frederick Gaudreau, Austin Watson and Ryan Ellis – each got their first of the season, and then, there was the goaltender.
Rinne made 28 saves to earn his 320th career victory to pass Miikka Kiprusoff and become the winningest Finnish-born goaltender in NHL history.
“A long time ago, it wasn’t even close to being on my mind,” Rinne said of the record. “When I was just trying to battle my way into the League, these are the things you are going to wish for. It’s pretty cool. When you’re fortunate and stay in the League for a long time, you know you’re going to face some milestones. This one, for sure, is a cool one.”
Nashville got the game’s opening tally, and it was Gaudreau who poked home a loose puck at the side of the net for the first regular-season goal of his career for a 1-0 lead.
St. Louis evened the score before the period was out as Robert Thomas got his first in the NHL, but in the middle frame, Filip Forsberg picked off a pass at the point while shorthanded and cashed in on a breakaway for his 14th of the season and a 2-1 advantage after 40 minutes.
In the third, Watson fired a puck from the half wall that eluded Jake Allen to extend Nashville’s lead. Then, while shorthanded, Ellis caught up to a loose puck and finished it into an empty net to knock the proverbial monkey off his back and give his club a three-game win streak once more.
Against the Blues, who had a new head coach in Craig Berube after Mike Yeo was let go on Monday, the Predators knew they would have to match their opponent’s intensity. They did that and then some, just the way they hoped to start the home-and-home set with St. Louis.
“That was a huge win for us,” Gaudreau said. “When you have a new coach like that, everyone’s fired up. We had to match that intensity and that energy and see that and I think we did.”
Wednesday’s triumph put an exclamation point on the homestand after the Preds faced their first real bit of adversity of the season with an 0-2-1 stretch last week. But now, that seems like eons ago.
“We did some good things on the road,” Preds Head Coach Peter Laviolette said. “We lost some games and that’s a good way to reset, but I felt like we could’ve won all those games too. We were up in San Jose. We had those chances in the end in Anaheim, and I really like the way we played in Phoenix. It didn’t happen, but it’s about winning hockey games and I thought our guys just stayed with it. The leaders took over, we got back home, started picking up from the way we played in Arizona and started putting our foot down at home. It was good to get back on track and get some wins back in our building.”
First for Freddy:
Yes, there is a technicality to this stat.
Technically Frederick Gaudreau has scored in the NHL before. Three times, in fact, all coming during the Stanley Cup Final with the Preds in 2017. He made a name for himself on that stage.
However, in 41 regular-season games, he had never accomplished the same feat. Until Wednesday night.
After multiple chances during a net mouth scramble, it was everyone’s favorite French Canadian who finished the play, and while some play it cool when they pot their first, Gaudreau’s reaction gave him away.
“Those [Stanley Cup Final goals] were a while ago,” Gaudreau laughed. “I just tried to keep my game simple those past three years and believe the offense would come. It feels good for sure to get that one. I’m just trying to focus on doing the right things. I’m not trying to think too far in those goals and stuff. It feels good for sure to get that one.”
“Freddy works so hard and he’s so skilled,” Watson said of Gaudreau. “It’s tough when those games start to pile up a little bit and you might grip the stick a little bit, but kudos to him for just playing with confidence and being able to pull through.”
As of late, Gaudreau has earned the praises of his head coach, even if he wasn’t scoring. Wednesday’s result was a bonus, and those who know him best couldn’t have been happier for the man they simply call Freddy.
“It seems like he’s gaining confidence in being here and inside of his game,” Laviolette said. He’s been really good in the face-off circle. I think he’s a student of the game. I think he puts a lot of thought into the game on how it should be played. The opportunities that he’s gotten lately, both defensively and offensively, have been very good.”
Notes:
Filip Forsberg’s shorthanded goal was the fifth of his career and his first since the 2016-17 season.
Forsberg now has 22 points (11g-11a) in 21 career games against the Blues, including points in seven of his last eight contests against them.
Nashville has now won seven of its last eight games against St. Louis – including five in a row – and has scored at least four goals in five of those wins.
At home, the Preds are riding a six-game win streak versus the Blues.
The Predators will now travel to St. Louis to finish off a home-and-home set with the Blues on Friday before returning home to host Anaheim on Sunday night in Nashville.
Game ending call from Pete Weber
