NHL Update: Philadelphia Flyers beat Nashville Predators, 3-2
Ville Leino tallied twice in the final stanza, as Philadelphia Flyers held on for a 3-2 win over Nashville Predators, at Wells Fargo Centre on Thursday night.
Jeff Carter scored a goal and assisted twice for Philadelphia, which has won seven of its previous nine contests overall. Sergei Bobrovsky started between the pipes, turning aside 26 shots
for the winners.
"It's about winning and losing, and as the season starts to push towards the end, if you don't compete at the level at which we did tonight, you'll find yourself in a lopsided hockey game,"
said Philadelphia coach, Peter Laviolette.
Marcel Goc and Joel Ward both provided offense for Predators, who have lost previous four contests (0-3-1). Anders Lindback was shelled with three goals on 29 shots in the losing effort.
In the opening session, the teams netted goals only 59 seconds apart.
Philadelphia got on board first for a 1-0 lead just after the midway mark of the first period. The play was set up by Carter, who controlled the puck along the outer rim of the left circle
and searched for an open teammate to deliver the pass. Finally, Carter took it upon himself, rushed in toward the low slot and ripped a wrist shot into the net.
Less than a minute later, Predators knotted the scoring at 1-1. The goal came when Predators Cody Franson crossed the blue-line, faked around three Philadelphia defenders and fired a shot
from the right circle. Bobrovsky blocked it but was unable to control the rebound. Goc buried the rebound into the back of the net from near the left post.
After few minutes, Goc briefly thought that he gave Nashville a 2-1 lead on his second goal, but it was waved off because of incidental contact.
However, Flyers notched a 2-1 lead in the seventh minute of the third period. With Ward off for hooking, Mike Richards centred the puck from the lower right half-wall and Carter redirected
it from the crease area. It was saved, but Leino hacked away at the loose rebound and knocked it past Lindback for his 12th goal of the season.
“When he has the puck, he’s going to make things happen,” Carter said. “He’s going to make the fancy plays and he’s going to make the easy plays.”
Less than four minutes later, Ward pulled Predators even at 2-2 on a power-play tally. With All-Star Claude Giroux in the penalty box for high sticking, Shea Weber let go a slap shot from
the centre point that went through traffic in front. Ward took the rebound and banged it home from the slot.
"I thought we had a really good effort," said Predators head coach Barry Trotz. "We came back twice and tied it up, but I thought we should have come out of here with a point."
With the score tied 2-2, Leino staked Philadelphia to 3-2 lead with nearly three minutes left in the final stanza. Leino grabbed the puck from the low slot near the net and snapped a backhander
past Lindback.
"That was instinct -- I turned right away and I knew there was empty space there, so I tried to get (the puck up) high," said Leino.
Predators’ goaltender was pulled for an extra skater in the last minute of the game, but Philadelphia used several clears to preserve the victory.
Tags: