WHAT'S NEXT
The Oilers entertain the Pittsburgh Penguins on Tuesday in the third game of a four-game homestand at Rogers Place. The game can be seen on Sportsnet One and heard on the Oilers Radio Network, including 630 CHED. Puck drop is 7:08 p.m. MDT.
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A shorthanded marker from defenceman P.K. Subban and left-wing Viktor Arvidsson's fourth goal of the season came within 35 seconds of one another in the second period to make it five-straight wins for the Predators (7-1-0) atop the NHL and Western Conference standings.
The win extends Nashville's winning ways against the Oilers to 13 games dating back to March of 2014.
Goaltender Juuse Saros made 31 saves for the shutout and his fourth win of the season in the absence of regular netminder Pekka Rinne.
"He seems to have our number here in Edmonton," Oilers left-wing Milan Lucic said post-game. "We face him next week on Saturday, so we have to find a way to get one by him. I thought we did a good job in the third pressuring his net, and if we do that we'll eventually find a way to put one past him."
After turning the tide a game prior versus the Boston Bruins, the Oilers power play was held to 0-for-4 with a shorthanded goal against.
"I don't think we weren't as sharp [on the power play] like we were when clicking and creating a lot more chances," centre Leon Draisaitl said. "It's still a work in progress, but we need to create a little more than what we did tonight."
Head Coach Todd McLellan preached a good start against the Predators with his team struggling early in previous games. The Oilers answered by carrying a majority of the play in the opening 10 minutes, but couldn't break the defensively-resilient Predators.
"At the end of the night the goals decide the game, and that was the factor," Oilers head coach Todd McLellan said. "I thought we played a hard, solid game and had a better start, but that two-minute phase in the second hurt us. We were the best penalty killers on the ice during our powerplay. It just wasn't enough against a team like that. In two or three minutes they can produce like they did."
The penalty kill for the Oilers was the busiest unit in the first period, turning away two opportunities for Nashville with the man advantage. The potent power play that went 2-for-3 against the Bruins on Thursday nearly opened the scoring with Zac Rinaldo in the box for interfering with Connor McDavid, but Leon Draisaitl failed to find the net on two occasions in close.
