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NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The Nashville Predators are healthy and confident. They’re also playing the best hockey in the NHL.
Martin Erat scored twice and Nashville beat the Detroit Red Wings 3-1 Monday night for its sixth straight victory. The streaking Predators finished off a five-game homestand in style and have won 10 of 12 overall, a stretch that started with the return of J.P. Dumont to the top line with Jason Arnott and Steve Sullivan.
“We’re just playing better and just putting everything together,” Erat said. “The power play’s playing better. The penalty kill is doing better, and 5-on-5, they don’t score any goals against us.”
The Predators beat the best team in the West in San Jose and the East in New Jersey during this homestand, and they finished off this latest win in regulation for the first time in three games.
“It’s been kind of growing and growing,” Nashville goalie Pekka Rinne said. “The confidence is the biggest thing and right now we have a good thing going, and hopefully we can keep it going.”
RANGERS 7, BLUE JACKETS 4: Marian Gaborik again sparked New York’s offense with two goals and two assists, but this time he had lots of long-awaited help in the victory over visiting Columbus.
Sean Avery also scored twice and Henrik Lundqvist made 26 saves for the Rangers, who strung together seven straight goals after falling behind 2-0.
SENATORS 4, CAPITALS 3, OT: Mike Fisher scored 1:14 into overtime, giving Ottawa a victory over visiting Washington. Fisher, selected the NHL’s third star of the week earlier in the day, batted Chris Phillips’ centering pass from the left side out of the air and past Semyon Varlamov for his 10th goal of the season.
ISLANDERS 4, MAPLE LEAFS 3, OT: Dwayne Roloson made 58 saves and Josh Bailey scored in overtime to lift New York in Toronto.
Bailey scored 4:18 into overtime, taking a pass from Sean Bergenheim and slamming the puck into an open net. It was the Islanders only shot of the extra period. Jeff Tambellini, Matt Moulson and Bergenheim also scored for New York (9-8-7).
Phil Kessel, Wayne Primeau and Niklas Hagman replied for the Maple Leafs (4-11-7).
PENGUINS 3, PANTHERS 2, OT: Sidney Crosby scored on a power play at 3:07 of overtime and Pittsburgh rallied from a two-goal deficit in the third period to win in Sunrise, Fla.
Pascal Dupuis and Michael Rupp also scored for the Penguins. Evgeni Malkin had two assists.
BRUINS 4, BLUES 2: Patrice Bergeron had four assists, two on power-play goals and another short-handed, to help visiting Boston beat St. Louis for its first three-game winning streak of the season.
Milan Lucic got the go-ahead midway through the second period and Marco Sturm scored short-handed midway through the third for a two-goal cushion on Boston’s 20th shot against Chris Mason.
STARS 2, HURRICANES 0: Marty Turco stopped 22 shots for his 38th career shutout, rookie Jamie Benn scored a power-play goal in the first period and host Dallas beat Carolina,
Brad Richards added a third-period power-play goal as the Stars tallied consecutive home victories in regulation for the first time since they defeated Vancouver and Edmonton on Feb. 13 and 19.
AVALANCHE 5, FLYERS 4: David Jones scored twice, Paul Stastny had a goal and two assists host Colorado stopped a two-game skid. Craig Anderson stopped 30 shots for Colorado.
OILERS 4, COYOTES 0: Jeff Deslauriers made 36 saves for his first NHL shutout, and Sheldon Souray and Ales Hemsky scored a team-record 7 seconds apart to lead host Edmonton.
DUCKS 3, FLAMES 2, SO: Jean-Sebastien Giguere made 41 saves in his first victory of the season despite giving up Jarome Iginla’s tying goal with 18 seconds left in regulation, and Teemu Selanne scored the only shootout goal to lift host Anaheim.
