Juuse Saros Records 46-Save Shutout in Preds' Win

Juuse Saros posted a franchise-record, 46-save shutout and the Nashville Predators defeated the Edmonton Oilers, 4-0, on Thursday night at Rogers Place. It's the second victory in as many nights for the Preds after a 7-1 trouncing on Wednesday in Vancouver, giving Nashville 15 wins in their last 19 tries and 10-straight triumphs over the Oilers.
After a first period that saw Saros make 24 saves, the Predators responded with a vengeance, potting four goals in the second period and then clamping it down the rest of the way in an effort that wasn't their best - but the result looks just fine.
"Most of the damage was done in the first period," Nashville Head Coach Peter Laviolette said. "I don't think we were quite ready in the first, and we needed some goaltending. In the second period, I thought we played a lot better game and evened things out a little bit."

"I think Juuse won that game for us," Preds Captain Roman Josi said. "He was unbelievable."
Pontus Aberg, Kevin Fiala, Kyle Turris and Josi all beat Laurent Brossoit in the second stanza to give Nashville a commanding lead, and then for the second-straight night, the club finished things out in the third period.
"You're playing 82 games, and you're going to have games where you're not going to be at your best," Josi said. "You just have to find a way to win those games, and I thought that the guys worked hard. We didn't play our best, but we worked hard and found a way to score goals, timely goals, and found a way to win the game. It really speaks for the team."

Twice as Nice:
Teams aren't supposed to be able to win often in back-to-back situations, and certainly not in the fashion the Predators did on Thursday.
But with four goals on the night and a lights-out performance from Juuse Saros, things become just a tad easier, and so do the points.
Nashville has now won their last two outings on the second half of back-to-backs by a combined score of 11-2, taking advantage of their opportunities when they come and relying on Saros to shut it down between the pipes. It's a formula that seems to be doing the job as of late, and while the Preds would prefer to play a bit better in front of their goaltender, they still claimed two points.
"It wasn't our best game, but we found a way to win it," Josi said. "That's a tough team over there, and to get the two points on a back-to-back, that's all that matters."

Juice is Loose:
As if his 43 saves against the Dallas Stars last week didn't do the trick, another stellar outing from Juuse Saros on Thursday in Edmonton - 46 stops this time - gave the goaltender not only a slew of confidence in his play, but also his second consecutive win in a back-to-back situation.
Saros, who has made the trek to AHL Milwaukee multiple times to receive more playing time this season, has now put together arguably his two strongest NHL outings to date.
"I try to help my team as much as I can, but I like to get a lot of shots," Saros said. "I like these kinds of games."
Now that he's set a Preds franchise record for the most saves in a shutout performance in club history, Saros has one more reason to feel pretty darn good about his play - and his teammates do, too.
"He was unbelievable," Josi said of Saros. "They had a lot of quality chances and he saved every single one. We have so much confidence in him, and he played unbelievable."
"He was really important; he was really good," Laviolette said of Saros. "Especially in the first period, you get out shot 22-4, and you walk in 0-0, you're thankful your goalie was ready to play. He gave us an opportunity to win a hockey game. Like I said, we got going in the second and were able to capitalize on some situations and score some goals. Without him playing the way he did in the first period, we don't have a chance."

Notes:
Nashville has now defeated Edmonton in 10 consecutive meetings, dating back to March of 2014. During the streak, the Preds have outscored the Oilers 31-12 and limited them to two-or-fewer goals nine times, including four shutouts.
With an assist on Thursday night, Calle Jarnkrok extended his point streak to four games, recording three goals and two helpers during that span. With a goal, Kevin Fiala's point streak swells to six games (5g-3a).
The Predators will now receive a well-earned day off in Calgary on Friday before finishing their Western Canada swing with a date against the Flames on Saturday night before returning home to host the Winnipeg Jets on Tuesday at Bridgestone Arena.