The good teams in the NHL are starting to exert some presence on the schedule. In Nashville Monday night, the Predators posted a 5-3 win over the Boston Bruins.
Pekka Rinne made 37 saves for the win.
Nashville, like many teams this season, started slowly but have now won 12 of 15 and 
improved to 17-7-3 with the win Monday.
Craig Smith had two strikes in the win for the Preds.
“I thought we came out and executed a few things, but we’re going to have to go back and look at the tape and find a few things,” Smith said. “There’s definitely things we can work on and just move forward. A few [defensive] zone coverage issues and we’ll learn from it and move forward, but overall it’s a good win.”
Smith and Nick Bonino and Kevin Fiala gave the Preds a 4-0 lead before the Bruins rallied to make it close with three straight goals.
“We allowed them to get into the good ice, and some of it was self-inflicted,” Bruins head coach Bruce Cassidy said. “We got going a couple times when we didn’t have complete possession of the puck and then they’d be harder on it, and all the sudden they were in. They’re a good team and you can’t give up that many easy chances.”
Charlie McAvoy, Zdeno Chara and David Pastrnak fueled the rally for Boston.got his 500th NHL point.
Filip Forsberg blunted the rally with a goal early in the third to make it 5-3 for Nashville.
“We were struggling big there in the third,” the Predators’ Roman Josi said. “Obviously, two quick goals. You’re up 4-1, you don’t want to give up two quick goals. When [Forsberg] has that puck on a breakaway in a dangerous spot, he always scores.”
[WATCH: All Bruins vs. Predators highlights]
Anton Khudobin got the start for Boston and made 10 saves but yielded four goals before being given the hook.
“The 4-0 lead is certainly suboptimal at best and a death sentence in some cases as well, but we battled to make it 4-3 and that next shift after they take a timeout needs to be one where it’s still simple and still our game and get it deep into their zone,” Boston’s David Backes said after the loss. “They’re able to get a puck just inside their line, send it all the way through the neutral zone for a breakaway and make it a two-goal lead again.
“That’s probably a shift I’d like to have back and we’d like to have back as a group to simplify, go a little harder and make sure that we’re not giving them any life after we’ve got seemingly all the momentum in the game.”
Tuukka Rask mopped up and made 10 saves in relief.
“It’s not just tonight, it’s every night right now. He’s (Smith) just on top of his game. He’s working relentlessly out there, in constant pursuit of the puck,” Preds head coach Peter Laviolette. “His line was good. [Kyle Turris] was good again tonight. [Fiala] was excellent tonight. The line was dangerous, as they were last game. They were our most dangerous group out there.”
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