Predators 1, Stars 0
Associated Press

DALLAS (AP) - Pekka Rinne and the Nashville Predators managed to take the sting out of the Dallas Stars' high-powered offense.

Rinne made 30 saves for his 15th NHL shutout, Cal O'Reilly scored in the game's first minute, and the Predators held on to beat the Stars 1-0 on Saturday night.

Dallas (5-2) had 22 goals in its first six games, the club's best offensive start since netting 23 in the opening six games of the 1996-97 season. But the Stars couldn't get the puck past Rinne in the opener of a season-high, six-game homestand.

"We looked at it as a big challenge," Predators coach Barry Trotz said. "We knew we were going to need a big goaltending performance out of Pekka, and we got it."

Nashville came out aggressively and built early momentum when O'Reilly tucked a rebound past Stars goalie Kari Lehtonen 42 seconds after the opening faceoff. Shea Weber and Steve Sullivan assisted.

"We played a good road period," Trotz said. "We kept the fans quiet. We said if we were going to win this game, it would have to be 1-0 or 2-1. So it was huge, getting that goal."

Rinne did the rest for the Predators, especially in the second period when Dallas held a 13-5 shots advantage.

POST-GAME ANALYSIS
Pekka Rinne stole the headlines tonight, but forward Cal O’Reilly was impressive in his own right. O’Reilly scored the game’s lone goal, but his impact wasn’t limited to that play, he made a huge defensive play late in the first period to prevent a potential game-tying goal. Dallas forward Jamie Benn’s shot from the wing led to a dangerous rebound, but O’Reilly won the race to the loose puck and pushed it to the corner, allowing the Preds to regroup and ultimately clear the zone. Then, midway through the second period, O’Reilly banked a pass to Steve Sullivan, springing Sully on a shorthanded breakaway. The O’Reilly-Sullivan-Patric Hornqvist line was Nashville’s most consistent line all night, finishing with nine of the team’s 24 shots … and several of the team’s best scoring chances.

With centers Marcel Goc and Matt Lombardi out of the lineup, O'Reilly has taken advantage of the extra ice time and responsibility.
--Jay Levin, NashvillePredators.com

The Predators (4-0-3) won their first three games and then dropped three consecutive overtime decisions before getting back on track in their second road game of the season.

"We knew (the Stars) had a good offense and a lot of firepower," Rinne said. "The last three games we lost in overtime, so we said this time, we just needed to get mad."

Lehtonen stopped 23 shots in the matchup of Finnish goaltenders.

The Stars have cleaned up some areas of concern that were somewhat masked by their early success. They've cut down on shots against, and improved on special teams, killing off two Nashville man-advantage situations after entering the game with an NHL-worst penalty kill rate of 64 percent.

"We've won a few games where maybe we shouldn't have," Lehtonen said. "Then this one, we probably should have."

Rinne made a sprawling stop on Loui Eriksson's point-blank attempt on a power play midway through the second period.

Lehtonen denied Sullivan on a breakaway with less than nine minutes left in the second.

Jamie Benn of the Stars missed an open net on a power play with 2:30 remaining in the second period, and Dallas' Mike Ribeiro hit the post with a shot with under a minute left in the frame.

"We put a lot of quality scoring chances on net but couldn't find a way," said Dallas' James Neal, who finished with five shots. "I had a few good chances I'd like to have back. But that's how it goes sometimes. It's frustrating, but you've got to stay positive and do what you were doing before. You'll get rewarded."

Notes: LHP Derek Holland of the American League champion Texas Rangers handled the ceremonial opening puck drop. ... Ryan Suter, a member of Nashville's top defensive pairing, missed his second consecutive game because of a lower body injury. The Predators are also without C Matthew Lombardi (concussion) and C Marcel Goc (separated shoulder). ... The Stars had scored at least three goals in each of their first six games. ... Predators RW J-P Dumont left the game in the third period because of a lower body injury. Trotz said Dumont is day-to-day. ... The Predators opened a stretch of 11 road games over a 14-game span, including Sunday's game at Tampa Bay.


Three star selections
1st:   PEKKA RINNE
2nd:   KARI LEHTONEN
3rd:   CAL O'REILLY
Winning Goaltender
Pekka Rinne

Losing Goaltender
Kari Lehtonen

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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