In Nashville, Michael McCarron hit for a double for the Predators to erase an early deficit created by the Ottawa Senators’ Brady Tkachuk, to give Nashville a 2-1 lead in the second period. 
“The first organization I was in, I wasn’t able to play to an NHL caliber of hockey,” McCarron said. “As soon as I came here, I don’t know if I flipped a switch or something. I think it’s the coaches and the teammates combined. They believe in me. They give me great opportunities and I was able to run with them.”
Juuse Saros made 36 saves in the Nashville win.
Tkachuk scored off the power play in the first for the 1-0 lead to Ottawa.
“Super proud of the guys,” the Senators’ Austin Watson said. “First and foremost, just a sad day for our organization. I didn’t get a chance to spend any time with Mr. Melnyk, but he was a guy that was committed to our hockey team.
“He was passionate about Ottawa, the Senators, and the community when it came to the game and bringing it to Ottawa. It’s a tough day, obviously tough for his family. So condolences and prayers go out to them. It was great to see the guys move forward and put a good effort.”
The Predators improved to 39-24-4.
“I think we took three penalties in the first five minutes, [and we were] down 5-on-3,” Nashville coach John Hynes said. “That’s tough sledding right off the bat. I thought that was an issue in tonight’s game overall with the amount of penalties we took, and back-to-back penalties.”
Tanner Jeannot scored in the third period for the Preds to give them a 3-1 lead
“I think [Saros] took some of our confidence away with the saves he made,” Ottawa coach D.J. Smith said. “In the first and second power plays, some of those backdoor plays, those are big-time saves. But we’ve got to find ways to score. One goal is not going to do it. But also we can’t leave guys wide open in front of the net or we’ve got to be harder in front of our net.”
Matt Duchene hit for an empty-net goal for the 4-1 final.
“I think our goaltender played fantastic,” Hynes said. “I think our goaltender was a big difference in the game tonight. We fought and found a way to win. I don’t think it was a recipe to give yourself a chance to win every night. But I thought there were certain components of the game that were good enough, and certain players in the game that were good enough, to give us a chance to win.”
Anton Forsberg made 28 saves in the Senators loss.
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