Predators 8, Red Wings 0
Associated Press

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -Jason Arnott scored three goals, and Pekka Rinne made 30 saves for his sixth shutout of the season in the Nashville Predators' 8-0 victory over the Stanley Cup champion Detroit Red Wings on Saturday night.

Ville Koistinen, David Legwand, Joel Ward, Antti Pihlstrom and Shea Weber also scored for the Predators, who chased Ty Conklin with four goals in the first 9:51. Nashville had five first-period goals for the first time in franchise history.

The Predators scored twice in 29 seconds to start the scoring onslaught. Koistinen scored the first goal at 4:48, redirecting Weber's slap shot low to the left side and into the net against Conklin.

Legwand skated in low at 5:17 and took a shot at the edge of the crease that bounced off of Conklin. Legwand got control of the rebound and shot it behind Conklin from beside the right post.

Ward scored the third goal at 9:24. He shot the puck from behind the net. It bounced off of the stick of Detroit's Brad Stuart and off of Conklin's back before it fell into the goal.

The First Period

The Predators scored five goals in a 6:00 span of the first period to break open the game, including the first two goals 29-seconds apart.

Nashville's five goal first period...
...represented the team's highest scoring period of the season and the highest scoring period since a five goal burst at Chicago on Jan. 5, 2007.
...tied the second-highest scoring period in team history (record is six goals in a period set Dec. 17, 2005 in the second period vs. Columbus)

Nashville's eight goal outburst...
...marked the team's highest scoring game of the season.
...is the most goals the Preds have ever scored in a shutout win, besting the 7-0 shutout last season vs. Los Angeles.
...led to the largest margin of victory in team history. The previous mark had been a seven-goal margin set twice before.
...is the third-highest scoring out-put in team history behind a pair of nine goal games.
...is the most goals scored by either team in the Nashville/Detroit rivalry. Each team had put up six goals in a game multiple times before.

--Jay Levin, NashvillePredators.com

At 9:51 Jordin Tootoo hit Pilhstrom with a pass as he went through the slot. Pihlstrom's shot went high and bounced off Conklin in front of the net. Pihlstrom controlled the rebound and backhanded the puck between Conklin's pads.

Chris Osgood then took over in goal for Detroit. The Predators wasted little time welcoming Osgood to the ice. Less than a minute after Osgood entered the game, Arnott, stationed near the left post, fired a shot into the net from close range.

At 14:13 of the second period Arnott scored his second goal of the night on the power play. Steve Sullivan's shot was blocked and Arnott skated across the crease and backhanded a shot into the net.

Weber scored with a slap shot from just a few feet inside the blue line at 8:45 that beat Osgood to his glove side.

Arnott scored his third goal at 13:16 of the period from in front of the net.


Notes: Cal O'Reilly, recalled Saturday by the Predators from Milwaukee, earned an assist in his first NHL game. ... The last time the Predators had scored five goals in a period was Jan. 5, 2007. ... The Predators scored the last three goals of the first period in a span of 1:24 minutes, the fastest they have ever scored three goals on home ice.

Post-Game Quotes:
Barry Trotz Quotes
On making a conscience effort to have a quick start…
Well, we talked about what was key for tonight. They had played last night and we wanted to get out really quickly and stay disciplined. I was really proud of the way that we’ve stayed disciplined; that has been our Achilles heal when it comes to playing Detroit and we shut down their top guys.

On the goal scorers in tonight’s game…
I thought David Legwand, Jerred Smithson, and Joel Ward were great tonight against Datsyuk and Zetterberg. We got goals from all of our goal scorers and we had contributions from our secondary lines. Everyone competed and played well defensively.

On having an 8-goal game…
We got 5 goals in the first six minutes. We knew in the second period that they were going to come out and push and I thought we defended well against their push and we were able to get a goal.

On being in shock after the game…
It is a little bit. We really had a six minute span where we got all of our goals and in defense I didn’t think that they were able to get a save in those six minutes and some nights you are going to have that. It was a big win for us, but at the same time we have to look forward to Edmonton, our next challenge, which is a team that we are chasing in the standings.

On having offensive momentum…
Well, each time you score the goals you have to realize how you are scoring the goals. We are starting to get some speed and score some goals. In the first period we shot the puck and went to the net hard. In the second period, we just stopped shooting the puck and we didn’t get as many chances and even in the third we didn’t shoot it as much as we wanted to. When we shot the puck and went to the net hard, there were good results.

On Arnott’s hat trick…
He has been one of those guys who has been an offensive catalyst for us. The third goal from J.P. Dumont was really nice and I was on the bench yelling “Shoot it!” and they made a play into the empty net. He has an offensively minded eye sometimes. They were all on and working hard and there weren’t very many passengers tonight. I was really happy for some of the guys who have been a little frustrated offensively and they got some action tonight.

On Cal O’Reilly’s assist…
Cal O’Reilly came in and got an assist on the first goal and that was huge. I thought that everybody contributed tonight.


Joel Ward
On tonight’s game…
We fired a lot of shots at the start and just stuck with it. Our gameplan was to come out fast and create chances when we can.

On slowing down Detroit in the first period compared to last game in Nashville…
We had a different mentality than last time – we were too patient and were sitting back a little bit. With a team like that you obviously have to go forward and respect them, but don’t give them too much respect – just play them hard and create chances when you can.

On his goal…
I saw the defenseman behind the net and I anticipated a pass he was trying to make and I forced him to block it. I saw one of our player – I think it was Smithson – in front and I just tried to throw it out front because I knew he was there. It just seemed like it bounced off his stick and the back of his head. I saw it land just across the crosspipe and I was excited about that.


Shea Weber
On if he knew there was a penalty before his fight…
I had no idea. He just grabbed me from behind and tempers flared and it just went from there.

On the team scoring so many goals…
I don’t care – it doesn’t matter. It’s one game. We got some fortunate bounces that maybe we shouldn’t have or haven’t gotten in many other games. It’s something we have to look past – we can enjoy it for 20 minutes or so but we have to look forward to Tuesday.

On the team’s performance before the Chicago game and now…
When you win it’s fun to come in here. Guys are enjoying it right now – it’s a tight race. We’re just excited. It’s an exciting time of year and it’s going to close all the way through.


Jason Arnott
On winning decisively against Detroit…
I think I’m surprised just as much as you are. We came out and stuck to our gameplan. We got bounces, no question. We got a lot of lucky bounces that went in for us. We just kept pushing forward – they have so much firepower they could come back at any time. The guys were relentless and didn’t let up at all and Pekka made huge saves for us when he needed to do that. It’s nice to see when we got up by a few we didn’t fold and sit back and kept going forward.

On thinking about how Nashville started the last time Detroit was here…
They’re so hard to play against. It’s hard to get the puck off of them – they play such a puck-possession game and they play such a solid system they’re a real tough time to play against. We were very disciplined tonight – we stayed out of the penalty box and didn’t give them any opportunities with the power play. When we do play them we’re in the box a lot and they usually capitalized. We tried to make is a solid effort to stay out of the box tonight and just play.

On the hat trick…
It’s always nice when you get a hat trick in a game, especially against Detroit – you don’t get too many goals against them. It’s always a special moment when you get three.


Pekka Rinne
On tying the record for six shutouts…
It’s nice. That kind of comes along the way. We’ve been playing really well. I don’t really think about it too much – having shutouts or breaking the record. It’s just a number – it’s not that big of a deal.

On being the easiest game he has played…
I don’t think it’s the easiest game I’ve played. We had a lot of guarantee goals in front of me. It’s not going to happen everyday – having a game like that. It’s pretty unbelievable – having 20-some shots and scoring eight goals. It’s pretty good shooting accuracy. We just executed really well. We were really well-prepared. We really wanted these two points. It’s how we’ve been playing for a while. Obviously we got some lucky bounces but sometimes those things happen and we’re pretty happy it happened against Detroit.

On the outcome…
It’s really surprising. I was laughing with Ellis. It was pretty unbelievable – 5-0 after the first period. We were like, ‘what’s going on’. It’s great. We have some guys who can really score the goal like Weber and Arnott. Today they just put the puck in the net.


Three star selections
1st:   JASON ARNOTT
2nd:   PEKKA RINNE
3rd:   JOEL WARD
Winning Goaltender
Pekka Rinne

Losing Goaltender
Ty Conklin

SCHEDULE

HOME
AWAY
PROMOTIONAL

STANDINGS

WESTERN CONFERENCE
  TEAM GP W L OT GF GA PTS
1 p - CHI 48 36 7 5 155 102 77
2 y - ANA 48 30 12 6 140 118 66
3 y - VAN 48 26 15 7 127 121 59
4 x - STL 48 29 17 2 129 115 60
5 x - LAK 48 27 16 5 133 118 59
6 x - SJS 48 25 16 7 124 116 57
7 x - DET 48 24 16 8 124 115 56
8 x - MIN 48 26 19 3 122 127 55
9 CBJ 48 24 17 7 120 119 55
10 PHX 48 21 18 9 125 131 51
11 DAL 48 22 22 4 130 142 48
12 EDM 48 19 22 7 125 134 45
13 CGY 48 19 25 4 128 160 42
14 NSH 48 16 23 9 111 139 41
15 COL 48 16 25 7 116 152 39

STATS

2012-2013 REGULAR SEASON
SKATERS: GP G A +/- Pts
S. Weber 48 9 19 -2 28
D. Legwand 48 12 13 -6 25
M. Fisher 38 10 11 6 21
C. Wilson 25 7 12 1 19
R. Josi 48 5 13 -7 18
G. Bourque 34 11 5 6 16
S. Kostitsyn 46 3 12 -5 15
P. Hornqvist 24 4 10 -1 14
K. Klein 47 3 11 -1 14
N. Spaling 47 9 4 -10 13
 
GOALIES: W L OT Sv% GAA
P. Rinne 15 16 8 .910 2.43
C. Mason 1 7 1 .873 3.73

 


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