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Arvidsson scores twice and Predators beat Sharks 6-2

Sunday, 02.07.2016 / 12:15 AM / News

The Canadian Press

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Arvidsson scores twice and Predators beat Sharks 6-2

NASVHILLE, Tenn. - Nashville's forwards have taken plenty of criticism for not producing this season.

Not Saturday night.

Recent call-up Viktor Arvidsson scored twice, Filip Forsberg had a goal and two assists and the Predators rolled to a 6-2 win over the San Jose Sharks.

"(When) we got in the offensive zone, the cycle game was going, the defencemen were moving, the forwards were moving," Nashville coach Peter Laviolette said. "We made some nice plays to move the puck up the ice quickly. I think as the game moved on we played the game faster and faster."

Arvidsson was recalled from Milwaukee of the American Hockey League on Monday.

"I'm competing for a spot up here and I'm trying to work hard every day so it's good," Arvidsson said. "I want the team to win, so I'm not looking for a hat trick or anything. I'm just playing our system."

Pekka Rinne made 28 saves and James Neal, Calle Jarnkrok and Shea Weber also scored to help Nashville end a three-game home losing streak.

Joe Thornton and Logan Couture scored for the Sharks. Their 17-8-2 road record is the best in the Western Conference, and the Sharks fell to 9-2-2 in their last 13 games.

Rinne, a Vezina Trophy finalist last season, regained his form after allowing six goals in a loss Thursday night to Philadelphia.

San Jose goalie Martin Jones allowed five goals on 29 shots. He was 8-1-1 in his previous 10 starts and has an NHL-best 15-5-2 road record.

"It was just one of those nights," Sharks coach Peter DeBoer said. "In a long season, you're going to have some nights like that and at the same time, let's not take anything away from them.

"They figured out a way to score some goals. We've got to be harder around the net and stick some more in 5-on-5. We knew Rinne was on in the first 5 minutes of the game."

The Sharks dominated early and took eight of the game's first nine shots, but Rinne stopped them all.

Nashville scored on its third shot when Neal fired a slap shot from the low slot past Jones 13:12 in. Neal leads the Predators with 19 goals.

Jarnkrok's wrist shot from the mid-slot bounced over Jones' glove and in for a 2-0 lead at 6:26 of the second period.

Ryan Johansen assisted on the play, giving him 14 points in 13 games since arriving in a trade with Columbus on Jan. 6.

Jarnkrok also scored in a 6-3 loss to Philadelphia on Thursday, giving him nine goals on the season.

"I think they came out hard at home," Sharks centre Joe Pavelski said. "They got beat the other night 6-3. We established our game early. ... It went the other way in a hurry."

Thornton cut Nashville's lead in half when he swatted a loose puck in the crease into the net at 15:41 of the second period.

Nashville responded quickly when Arvidsson roofed a wrist shot that beat Jones glove side at 17:01 of the second period.

Forsberg's short-handed goal built Nashville's lead to 4-1 at 6:51 of the third period. He beat Jones with a wrist shot to the far post. Forsberg now has 101 career points.

Arvidsson scored his second goal on a 2-on-1 breakaway, deking Jones before sliding a backhander past him to give the Predators a 5-1 lead at 8:44 of the third period.

Couture's slap shot narrowed the deficit to 5-2 at 13:37 of the third period.

Weber got an empty-net goal with 4:37 left.

Notes: Predators centre Mike Ribeiro played in his 1,000th career game, becoming the 22nd active NHL player and 300th ever to reach the milestone. He was Montreal's second-round pick in the 1998 draft. ... Nine of the Sharks' first 11 games after the All-Star break are on the road. ... San Jose RW Joel Ward, 35, played three seasons for Nashville from 2008-11 early in his career.

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