Aho gets hat trick, Hurricanes defeat Predators

RALEIGH, N.C. -- Sebastian Aho scored a hat trick to help the Carolina Hurricanes to a 6-3 win against the Nashville Predators at PNC Arena on Sunday.

Micheal Ferland and Teuvo Teravainen each had two assists and Petr Mrazek made 20 saves for the Hurricanes (22-18-5), who are 7-1-0 in their past eight games.
Aho has five goals in his past two games.
"We're the same players, it's the same system," Aho said. "I think maybe we do the little details better now and we're doing it right all the time."
WATCH: [All Predators vs. Hurricanes highlights]
Filip Forsberg had two goals and Roman Josi had two assists for the Predators (27-16-4), whose seven-game point streak (5-0-2) ended.
Aho made it 1-0 at 15:44 of the first period when he scored on a breakaway after Josi fell in the neutral zone.
Justin Faulk set up Saku Maenalanen in the slot for a top-shelf score with 1:45 remaining for a 2-0 lead. The goal was rookie's second in his past four games.
"He's fit in," Hurricanes coach Rod Brind'Amour said of Maenalanen. "He looks like he belongs in this League. That's what we need, guys to contribute up and down the lineup. It was a big goal for us tonight."

Colton Sissons scored his 10th goal of the season at 2:48 of the second period to make it 2-1. He finished on a pass after Josi's end-to-end rush.
Aho answered 20 seconds later on the power play after a no-look backhand pass from Ferland to make it 3-1 at 3:08. The goal was the 20th of the season for Aho.
"That was a great play, that's not something you practice," Aho said. "It just shows how good of a player he is."
The goal put the Predators on their heels.
"We got on the board early in the second, and they came back and scored right away," Sissons said. "That really took the wind out of our sails."

Lucas Wallmark pushed the lead to 4-1 with a wrist shot over the blocker at 8:35, and Justin Williams made it 5-1 on the power play to extend his goal-scoring streak to five games at 10:11.
Juuse Saros relieved Pekka Rinne (15 saves) in the second period.
Nashville cut Carolina's lead to 5-2 at 14:39 when Josi set up Forsberg alone at the right post for a shorthanded goal.
Forsberg scored on a rebound at the net at 13:33 of the third period to make it 5-3.

Aho made it 6-3 with a shorthanded empty-net goal with 3:01 remaining in the third period.
The Predators matched their season-low in shots with 23 and had nine even-strength shots through two periods.
"We knew what we were getting into. We didn't respond very well," Predators coach Peter Laviolette said. "I thought Ryan Johansen's line was very good, but we were outplayed. They were quicker, they wanted it more and they executed better."

They said it

"(Carolina's) work ethic and effort was great. That's probably the hardest-working team in the League, and if we show up like we did in the first and the second, that's not going to cut it obviously. We got what we deserved." -- Predators forward Filip Forsberg
"It was tough. There was a time where we were playing really good hockey but nothing was going our way. But I give our guys credit. The leadership group are the ones who are continually pushing the message. And to be honest, they're leading by their example." -- Hurricanes coach Rod Brind'Amour

Need to know

Mrazek is 7-0-0 against Nashville. Justin Faulk has 239 career points (77 goals, 162 assists), one point behind Dave Babych (1985-91, Hartford Whalers) for most points by a defenseman in franchise history. Williams has a seven-game point streak (six goals, one assist). … Nashville was 0-for-5 on the power play and 3-for-5 on the penalty kill. The Predators won 40 of 57 faceoffs.

What's next

Predators: Host the Washington Capitals on Tuesday (8 p.m. ET; NBCSWA, FS-TN, SN, TVAS, NHL.TV)
Hurricanes: At the New York Rangers on Tuesday (7 p.m. ET; FS-CR, MSG, NHL.TV)