Predators defeat Senators, move into third in Central

NASHVILLE -- Michael McCarron scored twice and Juuse Saros made 36 saves in the Nashville Predators' 4-1 win against the Ottawa Senators at Bridgestone Arena on Tuesday.

The Predators (39-24-4) won for the fourth time in six games and moved into third place in the Central Division, one point ahead of the St. Louis Blues. Nashville has played 67 games, two more than St. Louis.
It was the second two-goal game this month for McCarron, who scored twice in an 8-0 win at the San Jose Sharks on March 5. Six of his eight NHL goals have come this season. He played 69 games in three seasons for the Montreal Canadiens and scored twice.
"The first organization I was in, I wasn't able to play to an NHL caliber of hockey," McCarron said. "As soon as I came here, I don't know if I flipped a switch or something. I think it's the coaches and the teammates combined. They believe in me. They give me great opportunities and I was able to run with them."

Mattias Ekholm had three assists and Alexandre Carrier two assists for the Predators.
Brady Tkachuk scored, and Anton Forsberg made 28 saves for the Senators (23-37-6), who played one night after the death of owner Eugene Melnyk. Ottawa is 2-6-1 in its past nine games.
"Super proud of the guys," Senators forward Austin Watson said. "First and foremost, just a sad day for our organization. I didn't get a chance to spend any time with Mr. Melnyk, but he was a guy that was committed to our hockey team.
"He was passionate about Ottawa, the Senators, and the community when it came to the game and bringing it to Ottawa. It's a tough day, obviously tough for his family. So condolences and prayers go out to them. It was great to see the guys move forward and put a good effort."
Tkachuk scored at 4:53 of the first period to make it 1-0. He redirected Tim Stutzle's pass across the crease during a 5-on-3 power play.
McCarron tied it 1-1 at 19:21 of the first on a shorthanded goal. Forsberg skated behind the goal line to clear a puck that never reached the trapezoid. McCarron collected the loose puck and scored on a wraparound.
The Predators took five of their six minor penalties in the first period.
"I think we took three penalties in the first five minutes, [and we were] down 5-on-3," Nashville coach John Hynes said. "That's tough sledding right off the bat. I thought that was an issue in tonight's game overall with the amount of penalties we took, and back-to-back penalties."
McCarron's second goal made it 2-1 at 18:14 of the second period. Ekholm sent a pass from the sideboards to the top of the crease, and McCarron slid the puck between Forsberg's legs.
Saros made a save on Connor Brown's penalty shot with 7.2 seconds left in the second, after defenseman Roman Josi was called for slashing Brown during a breakaway attempt.
"I think [Saros] took some of our confidence away with the saves he made," Ottawa coach D.J. Smith said. "In the first and second power plays, some of those backdoor plays, those are big-time saves. But we've got to find ways to score. One goal is not going to do it. But also we can't leave guys wide open in front of the net or we've got to be harder in front of our net."

Tanner Jeannot extended the lead to 3-1 at 10:07 of the third period, scoring for the second straight game.
Matt Duchene scored an empty-net goal with 3.5 seconds left to make it 4-1.
"I think our goaltender played fantastic," Hynes said. "I think our goaltender was a big difference in the game tonight. We fought and found a way to win. I don't think it was a recipe to give yourself a chance to win every night. But I thought there were certain components of the game that were good enough, and certain players in the game that were good enough, to give us a chance to win."
NOTES: Josi's career-best point streak ended at 13 games (four goals, 24 assists). … Ekholm had three assists for the second time this season and in his career. The first was Jan. 1, in a 6-1 win against the Chicago Blackhawks. … The Predators are 8-0-3 in their last 11 games against the Senators, a point streak that began Oct. 17, 2015. … Tkachuk established career highs with his 23rd goal and sixth power-play goal.