A three-goal first period was enough for the Pittsburgh Penguins in Nashville on Firday night.
They scored three in the first and two in the second to grab a 5-2 win over the Predators.
“When you get offense throughout your lineup like that, it gives you a much better chance to win,” Pittsburgh coach Mike Sullivan said. “That’s what it takes, especially given the circumstances that we’re in right now. It’s a good win for us. I thought our guys played hard. I think we’ve got to stay out of the penalty box a little bit more, but for the most part I thought it was a pretty solid effort.”
Tristan Jarry made 30 saves to get the win.
Craig Smith and Viktor Arvidsson scored for the Predators.
“We were in the [offensive] zone a lot in the second [period],” Arvidsson said, ” We didn’t get to the net. We didn’t get to rebounds and stuff like that. We need to be better.”
Juuso Riikola, Dominik Simon, Alex Galchenyuk, Teddy Blueger, and Bryan Rust all scored for the Penguins.
“We showed our depth tonight,” Rust said. “I think a lot of guys stepped up. We had a couple of lulls in the game where they pushed hard, and we had to defend hard. I mean you have to expect that. They have a good team. Once they get down, they’re going to push back, and I think we did a good job of responding.”
[WATCH: All Penguins vs. Predators highlights]
Pekka Rinne got the start for Nashville but was given the hook after surrendering the three first period goals; he made three saves.
Juuse Saros mopped up in relief.
“I think that there’s things that we can talk about doing tomorrow, both offensively and defensively that can help us be more successful,” Predators head coach Peter Laviolette said. “I thought our guys showed up with the right frame of mind, ready to compete.”
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