Preds spoil David Quinn’s regular-season Rangers debut
P.K. Subban scored the tiebreaking goal early in the third period, and the Nashville Predators held on to beat the Rangers 3-2 Thursday night and spoil the regularseason debut of coach David Quinn.
Subban fired a one-timer from beyond the inside edge of the right circle in front of the blue line at 3:28 of the final period to put Nashville ahead.
Filip Forsberg and Colton Sissons also scored and Pekka Rinne stopped 34 shots for the Predators, the reigning Presidents' Trophy winners with 117 points last season.
Jesper Fast scored and Henrik Lundqvist had 30 saves for the rebuilding Rangers, who missed the playoffs last spring for the first time in eight years.
The Rangers turned up the intensity in the closing minutes before Sissons' emptynetter with 1:24 left pushed Nashville's lead to 3-1.
Pavel Buchnevich pulled the Rangers back within one with 35 seconds remaining.
"I didn't think we really played to the level that we're looking for," Quinn said. "Obviously, we are up against a team that's one of the favorites to win the Stanley Cup, so it was certainly a great test. I just thought we were hesitant. I didn't think we hounded the puck like we did in the preseason."
After a scoreless first period, each team broke through in a fast-paced second in which the Rangers outshot the Predators 17-15. Both goalies made big stops to limit the other team to just one goal.
Nashville took a 1-0 lead on Forsberg's wrist shot from the right slot into the top left corner at 3:54.
Fast tied it at 7:37 as he deflected Filip Chytil's centering pass from behind the goal line on the left side.
Both teams had chances in the opening period.
Lundqvist denied Mattias Ekholm in close about 90 seconds in, stopped Ryan Johansen on a 2-on-1 break with 8:14 left, and then gloved Craig Smith's hard wrist shot on a Nashville power play with 2 1/2 minutes to go.
Rinne, the reigning Vezina Trophy winner as the league's top goalie, stopped Buchnevich's shot on a Rangers rush 6 1/2 minutes in, turned away a wraparound attempt by Mats Zuccarello midway through the period, and then made a sprawling save on Zuccarello's attempt in the closing seconds to keep it scoreless.
ISLES HAND CANES LOSS
Josh Bailey's power-play score at 43 seconds of OT at PNC Arena lifted the Islanders over Carolina on Thursday night. Valtteri Filppula also scored for Islanders.