Nedeljkovic, Hurricanes shut out Predators in Game 2, extend series lead

RALEIGH, N.C. -- Alex Nedeljkovic made 32 saves for the Carolina Hurricanes in a 3-0 win against the Nashville Predators in Game 2 of the Stanley Cup First Round at PNC Arena on Wednesday.

Nedeljkovic, a rookie, won his second straight start in the Stanley Cup Playoffs; he made 22 saves in a 5-2 win in Game 1 here Monday.
"It's just another game," Nedeljkovic said. "I can't answer it any other way. You try to play as loose as you can and at the same time under control and have the right frame of mind. Hopefully good things happen."
Sebastian Aho scored twice for the Hurricanes, who extended their lead in the best-of-7 series.
"It starts with the hot goalie," Aho said. "You've got the confidence to put the pressure on their players. We know if they make a play, 'Ned' will bail us out. It's huge when you have a hot goalie. It's just fun to watch him play right now."

Juuse Saros made 28 saves for the Predators, who were 0-for-7 on the power play. They had 10 shots on goal with the man-advantage.
"Obviously I think everyone needs to be better," Nashville captain Roman Josi said. "I'm on the power play, so I have to do a better job. Every guy has to look in the mirror and be better. It's such a huge part of the game, especially in the playoffs."
Game 3 is at Nashville on Friday (7 p.m. ET; USA, FXX-CA, TVAS2, BSSO).
Aho gave Carolina a 1-0 lead at 8:03 of the first period when he one-timed a pass from Andrei Svechnikov in the right face-off circle for a power-play goal. He scored an empty-net goal at 19:07 of the third to make it 2-0.
Warren Foegele scored on a centering pass from behind the net that deflected off Ryan Ellis at 19:32 for the 3-0 final.
"It was definitely a grind game, a lot of penalties, a lot of 4-on-4s, power plays," Aho said. "Not all guys can get in a rhythm, but great job from our guys to still be ready when their turn was going on the ice. Just a solid team effort."

Hurricanes defenseman Jaccob Slavin did not play because of a lower-body injury. Defensemen Brady Skjei (9:37) and Brett Pesce (9:18) took on a heavier load on the penalty kill in Slavin's absence. Skjei played 27:44, his most ice time this season.
"Pesce and Skjei in particular had to step up tonight and did it in a huge way," Carolina coach Rod Brind'Amour said. "You can't say enough about those guys, all the penalty killers, the goaltending."
Nedeljkovic made 15 saves in the second period.
"All the penalties we took, the stress level goes way up, and he looked pretty calm in there," Brind'Amour said. "Obviously, he was huge."
Saros kept it 1-0 when he made a right-pad save against Vincent Trocheck on a 2-on-1 at 13:38 of the first period.
"'Juice' will be Juice," Nashville forward Ryan Johansen said of Saros. "He's a stud, he's one of the hardest-working kids in the business. We count on him to keep doing his thing, and he was great tonight."
The Predators are 0-for-10 on the power play in the series.
"They force you to be able to make plays under pressure and quick ones," Nashville coach John Hynes said. "We have to do a better job getting into the zone and we have to do a better job of making that next play to stop the pressure. If you do that, then you're going to be a little bit more successful."
NOTES: Nedeljkovic is the second rookie goalie in Hurricanes history to have a postseason shutout;
Cam Ward
had two when they won the Stanley Cup in 2006 (Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals against the New Jersey Devils; Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final against the Edmonton Oilers). … Carolina defenseman Jake Gardiner replaced Slavin and had five hits and three blocked shots in 9:07. … Predators forward Calle Jarnkrok did not play due to a non-COVID-19 related illness and was replaced by forward Eeli Tolvanen, who was minus-1 in 16:35. … Josi led Nashville in time on ice (26:29) and shots on goal (eight).