Viktor Arvidsson of the Nashville Predators
The Predators sent 2018 out with a bang, and they welcomed 2019 in the same fashion.
Viktor Arvidsson scored twice and Juuse Saros stopped all 32 shots he faced as Nashville shut out the Philadelphia Flyers at Bridgestone Arena, 4-0. It’s Nashville’s second win in as many nights and gives them 50 points through 41 games as they reach the halfway mark of the season.
On Monday afternoon in Washington, the Preds snapped a six-game losing streak by scoring five unanswered to beat the defending Stanley Cup champions. But, as Rocco Grimaldi said, they didn’t want to be a “one-hit wonder.”
On Tuesday, they had another smash single.
“Saros held us in the game,” Grimaldi said. “He held us in, and then our guys got going and putting more pucks to the net. We started shooting to score, instead of just trying to get it to the net and we were rewarded.”
“I’m usually pretty honest; I told you that the two losses before the win in Washington, I hated the result,” Preds Head Coach Peter Laviolette said. “I didn’t mind the effort that our guys put in and the pucks we were putting at the net. You’re getting 40-50 shots and you’re doing an ‘OK’ job defensively and it’s just not going your way, and sometimes that happens. But if you look at the game, which we have to, there was a lot of good things that we were doing and I think these past two games have been a continuation of that and we’ve been fortunate to get a couple of wins.”
The game’s opening period went scoreless, largely thanks to stellar play from Preds goaltender Juuse Saros who made 13 saves through the first 20 minutes.
Just over two minutes into the middle stanza, the Predators broke the draw courtesy of Craig Smith’s 11th of the season, a shot he wired into the top corner past Michal Neuvirth. Exactly 10 minutes later, Ryan Johansen found Arvidsson at the side of the net for a tap-in and his second goal in as many games to give the Preds a 2-0 advantage after 40 minutes.
Arvidsson added his second of the night at 6:15 of the final frame, and Grimaldi put the exclamation point on the night when he tallied for the second consecutive game to send the locals home happy.
Philadelphia’s shot totals lessened as the game went on, but Saros still had to be sharp, making the saves he should have made, and maybe a few he had to work for.
“Tonight, he was terrific, let’s be honest,” Laviolette said of Saros. “Recently, we’ve played a lot of teams really strong off the rush. Washington, Dallas, the Rangers and I think, Philadelphia, a couple times here, they’re a rush team. They’re able of attacking, they fly guys capable of getting behind you, and they did. We needed saves there and he made them.”
In the end, Nashville has another two points in the standings, as they’ve gone from just trying to get back in the win column to all of a sudden showing signs of the Stanley Cup contender they know they can be.
With a six-game trip looming, the Preds know they’ll have to find ways to be successful on the road once more – and a pair of wins is certainly a good place to start.
“We think this could be the start of a long winning streak, but it doesn’t really matter what you think, it’s what you do,” Grimaldi said. “We have to have a good practice before we go to Detroit. Then we have a long road trip, playing against some really good hockey teams that are playing good right now. We have to take it one game at a time and keep building off each game.”
Arvi, Arvi, Arvi:
Viktor Arvidsson’s mother, Asa, was among the moms who stuck around after they all saw their sons win in Washington the day before.
Turns out No. 33 wasn’t done impressing his biggest fan.
Arvidsson scored twice on New Year’s Day in Nashville – giving himself three goals in his last two outings – and helped lead his club to a second consecutive victory.
“It’s fun to score,” Arvidsson said, his gap-toothed grin coming through. “It’s a great feeling, having my mom and the family in town. I’m just happy they could be here and watch me play.”
It was Arvidsson’s fourth game back in the lineup after missing more than a month due to injury, and in each subsequent outing, he’s shown more and more just how crucial he is to the Nashville lineup.
“He came back and played a good first game and then from there, I think it’s been a build-up where’s he’s tried to get better,” Laviolette said of Arvidsson. “He’s pushing himself, you see how important he is out there tonight with his speed, and his work ethic, his ability to score goals and make a difference in the game.”
Not only was Arvidsson a major addition back on the top line with Ryan Johansen, but Filip Forsberg isn’t far behind. It’s been a while since the trio was together, and once they’re reunited, the rest of the League will need to take notice once more.
Whether or not it happens on Nashville’s upcoming, six-game road trip remains to be seen, but the Preds never back down from a challenge – especially with Arvidsson chugging along.
“We have to go on the road for a decent amount of games now, and we’re going to have to really battle our way through that and pick up as many points as we possibly can,” Arvidsson said. “It’s going to be fun to get on the road.”
Notes:
Prior to Tuesday’s game, the Predators placed forward Kyle Turris on Injured Reserve with a lower-body injury.
The Predators also claimed forward Phillip Di Giuseppe on waivers from Carolina on Tuesday. Di Giuseppe did not dress against the Flyers.
With the New Year now underway, the Preds will head out for their longest road trip of the season, a six-game excursion that begins on Friday night in Detroit. Nashville will then make stops in Montreal, Toronto, Chicago, Columbus and Carolina before finally returning to Bridgestone Arena on Jan. 15.
