NASHVILLE Brent Seabrook Jersey Kids , Tenn. (AP) — Ryan Johansen and the Nashville Predators are off to a solid start this season.Scoring first has been a big key.Johansen and P.K. Subban each had two assists, and the Predators beat the Minnesota Wild 4-2 on Monday night for their fifth win in six games.“It’s early in the season, you’re trying to get your game in order,” Nashville coach Peter Laviolette said. “Hopefully just continue to get better.”Craig Smith, Mattias Ekholm, Filip Forsberg and Miikka Salomaki scored for Nashville, and Pekka Rinne finished with 29 saves.Minnesota lost for the fourth time in five games. Mikko Koivu had a goal and an assist for the Wild, and Matt Dumba also scored.“Our effort was fine, that looked like the team I’m used to coaching effort-wise,” Wild coach Bruce Boudreau said. “We made a couple of mistakes and when we did, against that team, it costs you.”After Smith and Dumba exchanged goals in the first period, Nashville opened a 3-1 lead in the second.As a penalty on Nashville’s Ryan Ellis was expiring, Johansen began an odd-man rush with Ekholm trailing. From the right faceoff dot, Johansen found Ekholm in the slot, where he beat Alex Stalock with a wrist shot.Forsberg made it 3-1 at 12:02 of the second. Just inside the Predators’ blue line, Kyle Turris forced a turnover by Eric Staal. Turris then pivoted and found Forsberg at the other blue line with a perfect stretch pass, sending the Swede in on a breakaway for his fourth goal of the season.“As soon as I stepped on the ice, (Turris) got the puck and I just tried to make sure that he saw me Youth Corey Crawford Jersey ,” Forsberg said. “He made a nice play and I was all alone.”Stalock finished with 24 saves in his first start of the season.Koivu’s first goal of the season at 15:03 of the second cut Nashville’s lead to 3-2. Rinne preserved the win by denying Nino Niederreiter on a breakaway with 2:41 remaining.“It goes both ways and they capitalized on their chances,” Koivu said. “We had some momentum, but it was a step in the right direction tonight.”Salomaki added an empty-net goal in the final seconds.Smith put Nashville in front 6:01 into the game. With a tripping minor on Minnesota’s Jonas Brodin in its final seconds, Smith collected the rebound of Subban’s wrist shot from the center of the blue line through traffic and put it past Stalock for his second of the season.“It was a good start,” Smith said. “Getting the first one is always nice.”Nashville has scored first in five of six games this season.Dumba evened the game at 13:29 on the power play. Koivu’s backhand pass from the right corner ricocheted off the stick of Nashville’s Nick Bonino and into the high slot. Coming down from the left point unchecked, Dumba stepped into a slap shot and beat Rinne high on the glove side.NOTES: Forsberg has four points in his last three games. … Nashville D Yannick Weber played his 400th NHL game. … Stalock is 0-4-0 in his career against Nashville.UP NEXTWild: Host Arizona on Tuesday.Predators: Visit Calgary on Friday. NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) For a guy who was drafted 258th overall in 2004, Pekka Rinne has put together quite a career.Rinne made 33 saves in his 300th NHL win and the Nashville Predators routed the San Jose Sharks 7-1 on Thursday night.After being selected the game’s first star, Rinne was overcome with emotion as Nashville fans saluted him on the bench.”I didn’t want to cry, to be honest with you,” Rinne said. ”In those moments, you take a look back. You know your parents are watching the game. It’s pretty cool.”Nick Bonino, Ryan Johansen and Viktor Arvidsson each had a goal and an assist, and Scott Hartnell, Kevin Fiala and Mattias Ekholm also scored for Nashville, which has won three straight. The Predators moved within one point of expansion Vegas for the Western Conference lead.Nashville defensemen Roman Josi and P.K. Subban each had two assists.All of Rinne’s wins have come with Nashville. He tied former Predators goalie Tomas Vokoun for 33rd place in NHL history.”His whole career, he’s just been fantastic. Not only tonight, not only this year, but his whole career he’s just been incredible for this organization the way he’s backstopped it for so many years with so much consistency Womens Duncan Keith Jersey ,” Nashville coach Peter Laviolette said. ”What you see on the ice is incredible. The person that he is is even better than that, so we’re fortunate to have a guy like that here.”Logan Couture had the San Jose goal. The loss snapped the Sharks’ three-game winning streak.”It didn’t feel like a 7-1 game,” coach Peter DeBoer said. ”Obviously, we own it, that’s what it ended up being. 3-1 going into the third, we’re on the power play, I thought we were playing a pretty decent road game.”Bonino scored the game’s first goal at 1:55 of the opening period.Josi’s shot from the left point hit traffic in front and Bonino beat Sharks defenseman Dylan DeMelo to the puck near the left post. Bonino took it around the net and beat goalie Aaron Dell to the right post with a wraparound for his ninth of the season.Hartnell made it 2-0 with 42.5 seconds remaining in the first.From the right boards, Bonino made a no-look backhand pass to Hartnell, who was skating through the slot and tipped it by Dell.Dell finished with 39 saves.Couture shaved the Nashville lead in half at 8:39 of the second.After skating the puck below the goal line on the right side, Couture lifted a seemingly harmless backhand toward the Nashville net and the puck somehow squeezed between Rinne and the near post for Couture’s team-leading 25th of the season.Nashville regained a two-goal lead at 15:57.Fiala carried the puck into the San Jose zone on the right side on a 2-on-1 with Craig Smith against DeMelo. Fiala attempted a forehand-to-backhand move, but lost control. The puck’s momentum carried it forward and it slipped between Dell’s pads.”Obviously these games, they feel awful. They’re not fun to be a part of,” San Jose defenseman Brent Burns said. ”It was like one of those just nightmare nights that’s no fun to play.”Arvidsson scored a power-play goal at 3:49 of the third, his fourth goal in three games. Johansen scored 2:40 later from the slot. Ekholm made it 6-1 at 11:00 of the third and Jarnkrok concluded the scoring at 17:51.Rinne’s teammates were thrilled to see him reach 300 wins.”Ever since I got here, he’s been the backbone of this team and he does it night-in and night-out,” Ekholm said. ”It’s a huge accomplishment and big congrats to him.”NOTES: Smith had one assist, extending his point streak to six games. … Arvidsson played in his 200th NHL game. … San Jose went 0 for 5 on the power play. The Sharks have not scored with the man advantage in their last seven games. … The Sharks are 4-5-2 against Central Division teams this season.UP NEXTSharks: Visit the Chicago Blackhawks on Friday.Predators: Host the St. Louis Blues on Sunday.—
