Pekka Rinne leads Nashville Predators past Los Angeles Kings 2-1 -NHL Update
Nashville Predators grabbed their second straight win with the help of veteran goalie, Pekka Rinne, who kept Los Angeles Kings out in the final moments to take the match, 2-1, Monday night, February 27, 2012, at the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee.
Despite the power boost from Jeff Carter, a top-notch forward which Los Angeles recently acquired from Columbus Blue Jackets, the Kings just could not seem to get the job done.
Staying consistent in the first two periods with back-to-back goals, Nashville was able to maintain the lead into the final minutes of regulation.
"Tough building to come into, tough team, good team; we pretty well matched them," Los Angeles coach, Darryl Sutter, said. "We just didn't bear down and finish our opportunities. We had some great opportunities and didn't finish the job."
Winning at home has been a great advantage for Nashville throughout the 2011-2012 National Hockey League (NHL) regular season, which they hope to continue till the end.
"That's a big thing with our home games starting our run here," Predators’ centre, David Legwand, said. "We've got to be winning, and we've been doing that at home. That's a positive thing for us winning at home."
Roman Josi picked up his fourth goal in the final two minutes of the opening round with a slap shot from far away that slid through Los Angeles’ goalie, Jonathan Quick.
Legwand set up the second goal once again as he found Patric Hornqvist open for the shot, taking a dominating 2-0 lead entering the final 20-minute period.
Dustin Brown brought Los Angeles back into the match with their first of the night 16:36 into the third, but as Pekka Rinne took his defence to a whole new level, Kings could not find that open spot behind the determined goalie.
Nashville secured the fifth number spot with 81 points and is well above sixth place Chicago Blackhawks, who have just 73.
Predators will be facing Hurricanes in Carolina on Tuesday while the Los Angeles Kings, which are still struggling to grab a playoff spot, having the next on the road against Minnesota Wild the same day.
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