In Nashville Monday, Pekka Rinne made 25 saves as the Predators defeated the Arizona Coyotes, 3-1, and moved into third place in the Central Division.
“Coming into tonight, I think we all knew it was going to be a difficult game if we didn’t s
Pekka Rinne picked up the win over Arizona Monday night – file photo by Lewis Bleiman
how up,” Rinne said. “It’s not going to be a walkthrough, and it wasn’t. Guys played hard. We played solid defensively. We didn’t give up much. It was a good game and obviously a good start to the home stretch too.”
Ryan Ellis struck for two goals in the win.
“Tonight, I thought, was more of a complete game,” Ellis said. “We can always get better, but it was a better game from our bunch. [Rinne] made some great saves, some timely saves. All around, I thought our team was good.”
Oliver Ekman-Larsson was the lone goal scorer for the Coyotes.
“I think with both clubs, there wasn’t much going on,” Coyotes head coach Dave Tippett said. “Both teams, a pretty tight-checking game. They got a break on their first goal, and then we were chasing from there.”
Craig Smith also scored for the Preds.
“[Smith] has been using his legs,” Ellis said. “His speed is his biggest asset, and tonight was no different. He was all over the place. Got a breakaway, they had a big save on that, but [Smith] was great tonight. Good to see him get on the board a couple times and hopefully get things rolling in the right direction.”
WATCH: All Predators vs. Coyotes highlights
Mike Smith made 28 saves in the loss; the Coyotes were officially eliminated from the playoff race with the loss.
Ryan Ellis scored twice in win on Monday – file photo by Lewis Bleiman
“We’re not generating enough. You always want to generate more, but you’ve got to capitalize on a few of them too. Last game we had a breakaway, and we didn’t capitalize. Tonight we had some 2-on-1s that didn’t amount to enough for us. Those opportunities, when you get the opportunities to bear down and put them in the net are a big factor,” Tippett said after the loss and lack of support for his goalie.
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