Predators 3, Coyotes 2
NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- One dominant period was good enough for the Nashville Predators Monday night.
Scoring all its goals in the first period, Nashville held off the Phoenix Coyotes over the final 40 minutes to pick up a 3-2 win at Bridgestone Arena.
It was the fourth win in five matches for the Predators (12-10-2), which avenged a 5-4 shootout loss to Phoenix on Oct. 31 in which they blew a 3-0 second period lead. The Coyotes (14-6-4) lost for the second straight game.
Nashville got on the board at 1:02 of the first when left wing Nick Spaling wristed the rebound of center Matt Cullen's shot over goaltender Mike Smith. It was Spaling's third goal of the year.
Center Mike Fisher upped the lead to 2-0 at 8:22 with a wrister from the right faceoff circle off a pass from right wing Colin Wilson, Fisher's fourth goal this seasob. Left wing Eric Nystrom set the sequence in motion when he intercepted a clearing pass along the right boards from Smith.
Left wing Gabriel Bourque made it 3-0 at 18:27 with his fourth goal, a backhander from point-blank range after a feed from right wing Viktor Stalberg. Center David Legwand drew the second assist for his team-high 19th point.
Phoenix worked its way back into the game with two goals in the second period. Center Antoine Vermette trickled a wrist shot past goalie Marek Mazanec at 9:34, his seventh goal, from the right faceoff circle.
Left wing Tim Kennedy cut the deficit to one at 13:00 with his first goal, a backhander from the slot. Center Martin Hanzal and right wing Radim Vrbata drew assists.
Mazanec made 12 of his 29 saves in the third period for the Predators, denying center Mike Ribiero on a rebound at the goalmouth with about two minutes left. Smith finished with 25 saves.
Defenseman Shea Weber sealed the win with an empty-net goal at 19:25, his seventh of the year.
NOTES: Nashville RW Patric Hornqvist was scratched with an upper-body injury. The team's alternate captain, who's tied for the Predators' lead in goals with six, took a slap shot to the chest in the first period of Saturday's 2-0 loss to the New York Rangers. ... Phoenix LW Lauri Korpikowski (upper-body injury) and D Zbynek Michalek (lower-body injury) missed their third and fourth straight games, respectively. ... Nashville wore camouflage-colored jerseys in warmups as part of the night's promotion, which honored local veterans of wars. ... Coyotes RW Shane Doan entered the game with a point in eight straight matches, the longest for his team this year.
