Preds Fall to Penguins in Shootout, Still Gain Important Point

Ryan Ellis tied the game late in regulation, but the Nashville Predators fell to the Pittsburgh Penguins in a shootout by a 2-1 final on Thursday night at Bridgestone Arena.
The result snaps Nashville's three-game winning streak, but it does give them points in four straight and 90 on the season overall to keep pace in the Central Division.
It took the Predators exactly 56 minutes and 59 seconds to find the back of the net, and although the game ultimately fell out of Nashville's favor, the home team wasn't viewing the result as a setback in their improved play as of late.

"It's always disappointing when you come up short, and especially in the shootout," Preds goaltender Pekka Rinne said. "You still have a chance to get the second point, and just didn't happen for us tonight. But I thought it was a good battle, again. We've been taking steps to a right direction these last three, four games, so you have to be happy with that."

"It was a back-and-forth battle, and it was a fast game out there," Ellis said. "Parts of the game they brought to us and parts of the game we brought to them. When we needed Peks, he stood on his head, and I think their goalie played a great game as well… At times it could have been better, but that's hockey. You're not going to be perfect every time."
The game's opening 20 minutes didn't yield any results on the scoreboard, but at 5:57 of the second stanza, Bryan Rust slid a puck past Pekka Rinne to give the Penguins a 1-0 advantage after two periods.
Wanting more from his group after the game's opening frame, Predators Head Coach Peter Laviolette shuffled his forward groups to start the second, putting Kyle Turris with Mikael Granlund and Craig Smith. Nashville's top line remained the same, but Colton Sissons skated alongside Nick Bonino and Rocco Grimaldi, and Calle Jarnkrok centered Brian Boyle and Wayne Simmonds.
The new trios began to gel, and the chances picked up, especially in the third period for the Preds with 13 shots in the final frame. Ellis's seeming harmless attempt at the net was the one that finally beat Matt Murray to force overtime.

Sidney Crosby got the only goal in the shootout as Murray denied, Ryan Johansen, Ellis and Boyle from the Nashville side.
"You have to remember that it's a good team, who we played against," Rinne said. "They were good too, and they had some chances and it was back and forth - both teams playing well defensively. So I would say it was all in all a good game."
The most important game of the season to date for the Preds comes Saturday night in Winnipeg against the Jets, the team Nashville is chasing for the Central Division crown once more.
With their last four efforts to build off, the Predators are eager to see what they can do on the road once again, starting with their much-improved defensive efforts on a consistent basis.
"That's probably the best sign for our team right now," Ellis said of Nashville's play in their own zone. "Everyone is contributing on our end whether that's blocking shots, good sticks, hits or pins. Whatever it is, it seems that we're all doing a better job together and that leads to more possession in the offensive zone and pucks going the other way once we get it back. I think all in all it's a step in the right direction."

Notes:
The Predators dressed the same lineup on Thursday that they had on Tuesday night, with Matt Donovan, Austin Watson, Cody McLeod and Frederick Gaudreau serving as the scratches.
Nashville has picked up a point in each of its last four games versus Pittsburgh at Bridgestone Arena, going 2-0-2.
Nashville will now head out on the road for a pair of Central Division clashes, beginning on Saturday night in Winnipeg. The Preds will then face the Wild in Minnesota on Monday evening before facing the Penguins again late next week.