Nashville Predators remain undefeated with win over the St. Louis Blues
Even without starting goalie Pekka Rinne, the Nashville Predators are scooping up wins as they collected their third win in as many games by defeating the St. Louis Blues 4-3 on Thursday night.
How it went down
Steve Sullivan had a big first period by netting two goals. After Predators forward Marcel Goc opened the scoring after just 56 seconds, Sullivan took over and led the way with a power play marker at 11:14,
and a second goal at 13:52 which came only 15 seconds after the Blues had got themselves back into the game courtesy of a goal from Matt D'Agostini.
The Predators and Blues traded power play goals in the second period, and the Blues clawed their way back with a power play goal at 5:13 of the third, but backup goaltender Anders Lindback was solid the
rest of the way and stopped 32 of 35 shots to earn the win.
What they're saying
The 22-year-old Swedish rookie, Lindback, talked about his solid outing between the pipes.
"Of course it is only just two games, but I am learning as I am doing it. I'm having fun out there. I'm trying to get as much experience as I can."
Blues coach Davis Payne described how his team came out flat and how he would need to start getting a better effort from his players as soon as the puck drops.
"I don't think we brought enough attention to the first period. We were slow to react, we were slow to move our feet, and we took two penalties based on not moving our feet."
Sullivan, who led the way for the Blues, had two periods worth of chances to earn the hat trick, but explained that the win was more important than an extra goal.
"I didn't score and they stayed in the hockey game for the most part," he said. "That's the most disappointing part. Hat tricks are great when they come, but the wins are more important."
What it all means
The Nashville Predators have now improved to 3-0 and, with the Red Wings loss to the Dallas Stars on Thursday, are the surprise leaders of the Central Division, and are one of the NHL's only remaining
undefeated teams along with Tampa Bay, Toronto, and Dallas. The Predators will put their undefeated record to the test when they host Alex Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals on Saturday night.
For the Blues, the loss to the Predators was their first of the season. They will look to bounce back as they travel to Dallas to take on the undefeated Stars on Saturday night.
Tags: