Preds Top Flames to Win Fourth Straight

Zac Rinaldo tallied the game-winner and Juuse Saros was perfect in relief as the Nashville Predators defeated the Calgary Flames by a 5-3 final on Friday night at the Scotiabank Saddledome. It's Nashville's fourth-consecutive victory, giving them a bit of revenge after being shut out by the Flames last week.
The two clubs went back and forth all night, but Calgary never had the lead, and the Preds kept finding ways to outlast their opponents throughout.
"That's just hockey," Rinaldo said. "That's the way it goes sometimes, and the teams that are going to come out on top of those games are the teams that stick with the game plan and are patient in their system."

"We did some good things, they did some good things, but it was a tie game there and we needed a big play," Preds Center Ryan Johansen said. "It came from a guy who probably deserved it the most at that time, so we were pumped for [Rinaldo] to get on the board there with our club and make a huge impact like that."
Saros entered the game in the third period after goaltender Pekka Rinne left the contest upon chatting with Predators Head Athletic Trainer Andy Hosler at the bench. Rinne was involved in an inadvertent collision with forward Kevin Fiala minutes before exiting.

Predators Head Coach Peter Laviolette did not have an update on Rinne's condition following the game.
Less than a minute into the night, Johansen's path to the net was clear, as was Filip Forsberg's lane to hit him with a pass, and the center converted to put Nashville ahead 1-0. Johansen extended his point streak to four consecutive games with his second goal of the year.

The visitors' defense limited the Flames to three shots in the opening period, but winger Elias Lindholm fired home his fifth of the campaign to even the score at 18:43 of the first frame.
In the second, the Predators second line broke through, featuring Fiala's first point of the season. The Swiss winger collected the puck in the corner and sent a pass to Kyle Turris, who used a slap pass over to Craig Smith all alone in the slot for Nashville's second tally. Smith waited out Flames netminder Mike Smith, to sneak a backhander inside the post.

Shortly after the Flames knotted the score, 2-2, Nashville acquired a four-minute power play thanks to a James Neal high stick. Twenty-nine seconds into the man advantage, a Ryan Ellis shot created a scramble in front and the puck found Fiala, who put an exclamation point on ending his early-season slump by scoring his first goal.
After Calgary tied the game once more in the third on a goal from Sam Bennett, it was none other than Rinaldo who kept the puck and sniped off a 2-on-1 to give Nashville the last lead they needed on the night.

"The bench was fired up," Laviolette said. "It was just a great play. We ended up catching numbers going the other way... and it was a big goal."
Forsberg iced it into an empty net with his fifth of the season and Saros stopped all nine shots he faced to become the goaltender of record and collect his third win on the campaign.
It's a quick turnaround for the Predators as they jet off to Edmonton to face the Oilers on Saturday night, but there is certainly momentum to ride in the Nashville room as they search for a fifth-straight triumph.
"We're really confident," Rinaldo said. "We have that swag, we have attitude every single game, we bring speed every single game, but the thing about this group is we don't get comfortable. We know every game is going to be a hard-working game. We're confident, but not comfortable."

Cold-Pressed Juice:
It's one thing for a goaltender to make a point-blank save on the doorstep at any point in a hockey game.
But, to do so after sitting on the bench for the first 45 minutes of the evening? Take a bow, Juuse Saros.
It was the first shot Saros faced - a bang-bang chance from Elias Lindholm - after coming on in relief of Pekka Rinne who left the game five minutes into the third period that made the highlight reel. The stop kept the game tied at the moment, paving the way for Zac Rinaldo and Filip Forsberg to give Nashville their fourth-straight win.
"We wanted to test him early and make sure he got into it," Johansen joked of an early test for Saros. "We just let him do his thing. It's tough on a goalie like that, but he was ready to go and made a huge save as soon as he got in there."
"There's a lot of confidence in both goaltenders, but that's a tough situation," Laviolette said. "His first save might've been his best save. It happened right away, a point-blank, backdoor chance, and there was one or two more of those, but that's the life of a goaltender. When you're not starting, you have to be ready at any moment, and he came in and did his job really well."

Finally for Fiala:
Kevin Fiala has been his own harshest critic during a six-game stretch without a point to open the 2018-19 season. Head coach Peter Laviolette said he'd chatted with the 22-year-old Fiala. Associate captain Ryan Ellis offered advice when the forward asked for some.
In short, all parties involved kept saying Fiala's approach to the game and chances generated were on the right path, which meant only time was needed to be added to the mixture.
"Kevin had a couple more looks that were really dangerous, and [Flames goaltender Mike Smith] made some nice saves on him," Laviolette said. "But you could tell it was going to come, so it's nice to get him going."
In game No. 7 of the year, Fiala started a quick cycle with his linemates, leading to the Preds' second goal of the game and his first assist. In the second period, Fiala sent a loose puck into the net, with Nashville on the power play, for his first goal of the season.
In one game, the slump was definitely finished.

Notes:
The Preds have now earned at least six wins through their first seven games in a season for the third time in franchise history (also went 7-0-0 in 2005-06 and 6-1-0 in 2015-16).
Rinaldo's goal was his first point as a member of the Predators.
Up next for the Predators is more hockey in the next 24 hours. Nashville takes on the Edmonton Oilers (at 9 p.m. CT) on Saturday night. The Predators are 12-0-0 in their last dozen meetings with the Oilers.