Dubnyk, Staal Lead Wild Over Predators 5-2 For 6th Straight Win
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Devan Dubnyk made 34 saves, Eric Staal scored twice and the surging Minnesota Wild beat the Nashville Predators 5-2 on Thursday night for their sixth straight victory.
Dubnyk's best save came with 8:30 remaining in the third period when he denied Ryan Johansen from the left faceoff dot with the Predators on a power play and Minnesota holding a one-goal lead.
Jonas Brodin, Charlie Coyle and Mikael Granlund also scored for Minnesota, which extended its winning streak of the season.
Ryan Ellis and Mike Fisher had the goals for the Predators, who have lost three of four.
Brodin scored the game's first goal at 10:20 of the opening period.
With Minnesota on a power play, Granlund sent a pass to Brodin above the left circle and he beat goalie Pekka Rinne with a wrist shot high to the glove side just under the crossbar.
The Wild had been held without a power-play goal in their last eight games.
Rinne finished with 14 saves.
Ellis tied it 1-all at 12:04 with a one-timer from near the right boards that beat Dubnyk high to the short side.
Coyle made it 2-1 at 18:37 of the first.
Rinne got a glove on Nino Niederreiter's shot from the left side, but the rebound dropped just to the left of the goalie, where Coyle tapped it in for his team-leading 10th of the season.
Staal followed with another goal 29 seconds later.
With the puck below the goal line, Niederreiter drew a pair of Predators to him, leaving Stall all alone in the slot, where he beat Rinne with a wrist shot between the pads.
Niederreiter has points in four consecutive games.
Fisher cut the Minnesota lead to 3-2 at 8:55 of the second with a power-play goal off a pass from James Neal.
Stall and Granlund scored empty-net goals in the final minute.
NOTES: Coyle played in his 300th NHL game. . Predators LW Viktor Arvidsson had an assist, extending his career-high point streak to five games. . Nashville's power-play goal was its second in the last nine games.
UP NEXT
Wild: Return home to face Arizona on Saturday.
Predators: Host the New York Rangers on Saturday night.
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