National Hockey League
BOXSCORE | RECAP
Nashville 5, Arizona 1
When: 9:00 PM ET, Thursday, December 11, 2014
Where: Gila River Arena, Glendale, Arizona
Referees: Trevor Hanson, Tim Peel
Linesmen: Ryan Galloway, Darren Gibbs
Attendance: 10194

Predators 5, Coyotes 1: Mike Fisher and James Neal each scored a goal and set up another as visiting Nashville breezed to its seventh victory in nine games.

Defenseman Ryan Ellis also scored to cap a three-goal first period while Calle Jarnkrok and Olli Jokinen added third-period tallies as the Predators handed Arizona its fourth straight defeat. Rookie Filip Forsberg and captain Shea Weber each collected two assists and Pekka Rinne turned aside 31 shots for his league-leading 19th win.

Antoine Vermette netted the lone goal for the Coyotes, who lost for the seventh time in eight contests (1-6-1). Mike Smith made 33 saves in dropping to 5-14-2 on the season.

Vermette staked Arizona to an early 1-0 lead with a one-timer from the slot off a feed from Mikkel Boedker during a man advantage, but it was all Nashville from there. Fisher scored his first goal of the season, tipping home Weber's shot while on the power play at 6:57 before his shot deflected off Neal and past Smith just over four minutes later.

Ellis made it 3-1 with 90 seconds left in the opening session, redirecting a crossing feed from Neal. It stayed that way until early in the third, when Jarnkrok poked home his second goal of the season at 2:43 and Colin Wilson's shot caromed off the skate of Jokinen with 12:40 to play.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Fisher's tally snapped an 0-for-27 drought on the power play for Nashville. ... Coyotes D Keith Yandle collected his 226th assist to tie Randy Carlyle for fourth place on the franchise list among defensemen. ... Predators D Roman Josi picked up an assist on Neal's goal in his 200th career game. ... Coyotes RW David Moss recorded two shots on goal in 12:45 of ice time in his return to the lineup after missing 22 games with an injured hand.
Top Game Performances
 
Nashville   Arizona
Mike Fisher 2 Points Antoine Vermette 1
Mike Fisher 1 Goals Antoine Vermette 1
Filip Forsberg 2 Assists Mikkel Boedker 1
Mike Fisher 1 Power Play Goals Antoine Vermette 1
N/A Short Handed Goals N/A
Pekka Rinne .969 Save Percentage Mike Smith .868
Pekka Rinne 31 Saves Mike Smith 33
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Shots Goals Power Play Penalty Kill Penalty Mins Face Offs Won
Nashville 38 5 1-5 2-3 6 29
Arizona 32 1 1-3 4-5 10 31
Upcoming Games
  • Arizona will play their next game at home against Minnesota. The Coyotes have a W/L % of .400 after a win and .316 after a loss.
  • Nashville will play their next game on the road against San Jose. The Predators have a W/L % of .500 after a win and 1.000 after a loss.