Predators hang on to defeat Wild, get third straight win

NASHVILLE -- Filip Forsberg scored his third goal in two games for the Nashville Predators in a 4-2 win against the Minnesota Wild at Bridgestone Arena on Monday.

The Predators (5-1-0) have won three consecutive games and went 3-1-0 on their four-game homestand.
"Obviously it was a tight game all the way until the end," Forsberg said. "They played good on the other side. Obviously a hard-fought battle but a great win."
WATCH: [All Wild vs. Predators highlights]
After Pekka Rinne made the save on Nino Niederreiter on a breakaway with 2:41 remaining, Nashville killed a tripping penalty against Miikka Salomaki with 2:17 left while leading 3-2.
"I thought we did what we needed to do during the course of the game," Predators coach Peter Laviolette said. "When it came down to the last 12 minutes or so, it wasn't about scoring a goal anymore. It wasn't about possession or shots. It was about making sure we were defending."
The Wild (1-2-2) had a three-game point streak end.

"The effort was fine," Minnesota coach Bruce Boudreau said. "That looked like the team I'm used to coaching, effort-wise. We made a couple mistakes, and when we did against that team, it costs you. But I thought for a team that was pressing, we had the puck in their zone the whole third period. Like I said to the guys in there, I said, 'If you can continue to play like that, you'll win a lot of hockey games.'"
Craig Smith gave the Predators a 1-0 lead at 6:01 of the first period on the power play. P.K. Subban took a shot from the point, and Smith beat goaltender Alex Stalock on the rebound.
Matt Dumba scored for the Wild at 13:29 on the power play to tie the game 1-1. The puck bounced out to the high slot, and Dumba one-timed the puck past Rinne.

Mattias Ekholm gave the Predators a 2-1 lead at 3:51 of the second period on a shot from the slot. Ryan Johansen led the rush and passed to Ekholm in the slot for his second assist of the night.
"My job is pretty easy, well not that easy, but it's easier playing with [Forsberg] and [Viktor Arvidsson] out there," Johansen said. "We're having fun together out there and just trying to outwork the opponents and do our thing."
Forsberg gave the Predators a 3-1 lead at 12:02 when he scored on a breakaway. Kyle Turris stole the puck and passed it to Forsberg coming off the bench, and he beat Stalock for his fourth goal.
"As soon as I stepped on the ice, [Turris] got the puck, and I just tried to make sure that he saw me," Forsberg said. "He made a nice play, and I was all alone."
Mikko Koivu scored for the Wild to make it 3-2 at 15:03. Mikael Granlund forced a turnover behind the Predators net and found Koivu.
Salomaki scored an empty-net goal after exiting the penalty box to make it 4-2 with 11 seconds remaining.

They said it

"Who was going to stop any of the ones that went in? Like, I mean, Ekholm from 15 feet out, a rebound on a power play with an open net and he couldn't see through it, and the other one was a pure breakaway by [Filip] Forsberg, one of the best players in the League. Other than that, he stopped a breakaway that kept us within one goal, and then he made another good save on [Viktor] Arvidsson coming in with about four minutes to go to give us the opportunity to tie it up, so I have no qualms with the way he played." -- Wild coach Bruce Boudreau on goaltender Alex Stalock's first start of the season
"They all seemed like close games, and it was a battle. So it was nice to finish the homestand the way we did and start the year the way we have." -- Predators forward Kyle Turris

Need to know

Dumba had five shots on goal, 11 shot attempts, three blocked shots and four hits in 25:19. ... Subban and Wild forward Zach Parise each had two assists. ... Predators forward Colton Sissons won eight of nine face-offs.

What's next

Wild: Host the Arizona Coyotes on Tuesday (8 p.m. ET; NBCSN, NHL.TV)
Predators: At the Calgary Flames on Friday (9 p.m. ET; SN360, FS-TN, NHL.TV)