Predators Beat Bruins 3-2
BOSTON -- Left winger Viktor Arvidsson, playing in his fifth game back from the minor leagues, scored on a solo rush with 4:56 left to give the Nashville Predators a 3-2 victory over the Boston Bruins on Monday night.
The win was only the third in the last 10 games for the Predators, their second in their last seven road games. The Bruins lost in regulation for the first time in nine games and saw their five-game series home winning streak over Nashville snapped at five.
Arvidsson, who scored for the second straight game, carried the puck down the left side and took advantage of defenseman Kevan Miller falling down before beating goaltender Jonas Gustavsson to give the Predators their first lead of the game despite a decided shot advantage.
Defenseman Roman Josi scored two power play goals for Nashville (14-8-5), tying the game at 1-1 and 2-2 -- the Predators outshooting what may have been a tired Boston team, 33-17.
The Bruins, 1-0-2 on a trip through western Canada, traveled home from Vancouver on Sunday and go right back on the road to visit the Montreal Canadiens on Wednesday night.
Miller and right winger Loui Eriksson (power play) scored for the Bruins, against goalie Carter Hutton, who stopped 15 shots in his third win in four starts this season. The Bruins went a span of 34:09 from the first to third periods between even-strength shots on goal.
Gustavsson came up big earlier in the third period, stopping left winger Colin Wilson on a 2-on-1 and then, after the Bruins (14-9-3) killed their second penalty of the period, stopping right winger James Neal from directly in front.
The game was a chippy affair that produced 16 penalties good for 44 minutes.
Miller gave the Bruins a 1-0 lead 4:13 into the game when he walked in from the right point and took a wrist shot that deflected off the skate of Nashville center Colton Sissons and up and over the shoulder of Hutton.
The lead lasted until late in the period when Josi beat Gustavsson with 24.9 seconds left in the first period.
There were two fights -- Boston right winger Tyler Randell bloodying Predators left winger Eric Nystrom in the second one -- before the Bruins struck quickly on the power play at 10:53 of the period. Right winger James Neal was off for an embellishment call and, nine seconds later, center Ryan Spooner, who had been robbed by Hutton on the previous power play, fed Eriksson for the tap-in, his first goal on eight games and 10th of the season.
It was the 11th power play goal against the Predators in the last nine games.
Nashville needed just 12 seconds of power-play time to re-tie the game at 11:20. Josi walked in from the right point and went right around the defense -- and a stick reach by defenseman Zdeno Chara -- and stuffed the puck past Gustavsson.
The visitors held a 24-11 shots advantage through two periods.
NOTES: The Predators rested G Pekke Rinne in preparation for a home and home with the Chicago Blackhawks Tuesday and Thursday. ... Bruins LW Brad Marchand, speared in the groin by Vancouver's Brandon Prust on Saturday night, resulting in Prust earning a $5,000 fine and calling it the "best money I ever spent," reacted Monday, saying, "I think part of my game is to get under people's skin, and I thought that he played with a lot more class in his game ... but clearly he doesn't have that integrity that I think a lot of people thought he had." ... Nashville D Shea Weber was named the NHL's Second Star after collecting six points, including his first career hat trick, in three games last week. ... Boston D Adam McQuaid was doubtful with a sore wrist but played, while D Dennis Seidenberg and RW Jimmy Hayes (no goals in 12 games) were healthy scratches for the second straight game. ... EPIX was at TD Garden to start filming for the upcoming Winter Classic series on the Bruins and Montreal Canadiens.
