Stars Lose To Predators
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Everything seems to be clicking for the Nashville Predators these days.
Offense, defense, special teams — it’s all there lately.
The Dallas Stars, meanwhile, seem headed in the opposite direction.
Center Calle Jarnkrok and defensemen Shea Weber and Mattias Ekholm scored consecutive goals in the second period, leading the Predators to their fifth straight win with a 5-3 victory over the Stars on Tuesday night.
Right winger Craig Smith and left winger James Neal also scored for the surging Predators (32-21-11), who improved to 7-0-3 in their last 10 games.
“Collectively, doing a lot of things the right way,” Smith said. “We’re running our systems perfect and if not I think our decisions on breakdowns have been really good and that’s key in taking away chances. It’s just making quick decisions.”
Left winger Antoine Roussel and centers Jason Spezza and Vernon Fiddler scored for the Stars (38-20-7), who suffered their fourth straight loss.
Stars left winger Jamie Benn finished with a minus-three rating and center Tyler Seguin was minus-four.
“I don’t think it was as bad as it looked,” Benn said. “It was 19 guys playing pretty
good hockey and two that weren’t. I was one of the ones whose play wasn’t good and it’s just not good enough.”
Dallas has allowed three or more goals in seven consecutive games.
Starting goalie Antti Niemi allowed four goals on 18 shots. Backup Kari Lehtonen gave up one on 16 shots.
“We know it’s got to be better,” Dallas coach Lindy Ruff said. “We’re trying hard defensively to clean things up. We’ve got to be better on the kill, five-on-five.”
Predators goalie Pekka Rinne made 35 saves for the win, improving to 5-0-1 in his last six starts.
Dallas, seeking its first division title since 2006, is in a three-way tie for first with Chicago and St. Louis in the Central Division with 83 points each.
Nashville ended a four-game losing streak to Dallas.
Nashville took a 1-0 lead when right winger Craig Smith scored his 15th goal of the season at the 12:38 mark of the first period.
Center Mike Ribeiro was behind the Dallas net when he slid a pass to Smith in front of the right side of the crease, where he fired a quick shot into an open net.
Ribeiro, a veteran who played in his 1,000th career game on Feb. 6, has seven assists in the last seven games.
“The Ribeiro line, again, for me was just flying,” Predators coach Peter Laviolette said. “A lot of confidence, a lot of speed and they’re making things happen when they’re on the ice.”
Nashville earned at least one point in 10 straight games.
“I think it’s everyone contributing, you know?” Predators center Ryan Johansen said. “All four lines are being used quite a bit and obviously that Ribeiro line has been carrying the load for most of those games.”
The Stars played their fifth game in eight days.
Dallas needed only 10 seconds to tie the score at 1 when left winger Antoine Roussel, the eighth French-born NHL player in league history, scored his 10th goal of the season.
Roussel skated the puck behind Nashville’s net before heading back to the right side of the crease where he stuffed a shot past Pekka Rinne at the near post.
Center Calle Jarnkrok gave the Predators a 2-1 lead when he deflected a puck past Antti Niemi at the 1:35 mark of the second period.
Right winger James Neal flipped a wrist shot from the left faceoff circle toward the net and Jarnkrok tipped it off the top of Niemi’s stick into the net.
Nashville increased its lead to 3-1 when Weber blasted a one-timer past Niemi for a power-play goal at 9:17 of the second period.
Benn was in the penalty box for interference.
Nashville needed just 31 seconds to make it 4-1 when Ekholm scored on a backhander.
The puck wobbled in the air before bouncing off Benn’s leg, changing directions and caroming into the net.
Ruff pulled Niemi after the fourth goal, bringing in Lehtonen.
The Stars narrowed the gap to 4-2 when Spezza poked a rebound through Rinne’s legs on a 5-on-3 power play at 16:28 of the second period.
Predators defenseman Roman Josi was in the penalty box for cross checking and right winger Miikka Salomaki joined him for high sticking.
Neal built Nashville’s lead to 5-2 with a one-timer from the right faceoff circle that beat Lehtonen high to the glove-side.
Fiddler narrowed the deficit to 5-3 with a one-timer at 10:30 of the third period after a Josi turnover in the Nashville zone.
