Nashville, TN (SportsNetwork.com) – Craig Smith scored the game-winning goal
with 2:02 left in regulation to lift the Nashville Predators to a 2-1 win over
the Winnipeg Jets on Saturday.
Calle Jarnkrok emerged from behind the net with the puck and fired a shot from
the left circle. Jarnkrok retrieved the rebound in the high slot and dished
the puck to Smith, who snapped a shot short side past a sliding Ondrej Pavelec
for the deciding goal.
The Jets pulled Pavelec with 1:44 to play, but were unable to force an extra
session.
James Neal tied the game in the second period and Pekka Rinne stopped 21-of-22
shots for Nashville, which has won four of its last five games.
Blake Wheeler supplied Winnipeg’s lone marker and Pavelec made 27 saves in
defeat. The Jets entered the game having registered at least a point in nine
of their last 10 games (7-1-2).
Winnipeg opened the scoring with a short-handed goal as Wheeler’s rising
wrister beat Rinne on the glove side 6:57 into the second.
Neal one-timed Mike Ribeiro’s cross-ice pass from the right circle to tie the
game with less than five minutes to play in the middle stanza.
Game Notes
Nashville head coach Peter Laviolette won his 400th game … The Predators
also defeated the Jets 2-0 on Oct. 17 before losing 3-1 on Nov. 4. The two
teams will resume the season series on Feb. 12 … Nashville went 0-for-4 on
the power play and wasn’t called for a single penalty.
