Turris’ debut music to Nashville’s ears
In a city that appreciates an impressive debut performance, new Nashville Predators center Kyle Turris produced quite a first game Saturday night.
Turris scored a goal, added an assist and led all Predators centers in ice time to help host Nashville beat the Pittsburgh Penguins 5-4 in a shootout.
The meeting was the second of the season for the two teams who met last season in the Stanley Cup Finals. The Penguins won the first contest 4-0 in Pittsburgh on Oct. 7. Pittsburgh was last in Music City on June 11, when the Penguins beat the Predators in Game 6 to capture the Stanley Cup.
It was the first game in a Predators uniform for Turris, who was acquired from Ottawa last Sunday in a three-way trade.
“I think it just shows his versatility, to be able to score goals or make plays,” Predators coach Peter Laviolette said. “Because the play he made to set up the goal was nice as well.”
The only thing Turris didn’t do was score on his shootout attempt, but that didn’t matter in the end. Filip Forsberg and Kevin Fiala scored shootout goals for the Predators, and Nashville goalie Pekka Rinne allowed only Sidney Crosby to score in the shootout.
“It’s obviously a big win for the team and going back (to last season), definitely special,” Forsberg said. “But at the same time, you can’t just think about that. It’s in the past, we’re going forward and it’s two points.”
Maple Leafs 4, Bruins 1:
Mitch Marner and James van Riemsdyk each had a goal and an assist, Curtis McElhinney stopped 38 shots and Toronto beat host Boston to complete a sweep of a home-and-home series.
Canadiens 2, Sabres 1:
Max Pacioretty scored at 3:08 of overtime, sending host Montreal to the win. Pacioretty broke in alone and beat Chad Johnson with a backhand shot. Andrew Shaw also scored for Montreal, and Charlie Lindgren made 34 saves to improve to 4-1-0.
Blue Jackets 2, Red Wings 1:
Jack Johnson scored in the ninth round of the shootout, lifting Columbus to the road win. The Blue Jackets stopped a four-game losing streak and halted Detroit’s run of shootout victories at 12.
Devils 2, Panthers 1:
Cory Schneider made 32 saves to help host New Jersey stop a four-game slide. Damon Severson and Kyle Palmieri scored for the Devils.
Wild 1, Flyers 0:
Jason Zucker scored his sixth goal in three games and Devan Dubnyk made 32 saves for his second straight shutout, leading visiting Minnesota. Zucker has scored the Wild’s past six goals.
Blackhawks 4, Hurricanes 3:
Brandon Saad scored at 1:44 of overtime for visiting Chicago. Alex DeBrincat had two goals and Gustav Forsling also scored for the Blackhawks.
Rangers 4, Oilers 2:
Rick Nash scored twice, leading host New York to its season-high sixth straight win. Pavel Buchnevich also scored for the Rangers, and Michael Grabner added an empty-netter with 1.4 seconds remaining.
Islanders 5, Blues 2:
John Tavares scored early to start New York’s threegoal first period, Thomas Greiss stopped 35 shots and the visiting Islanders beat St. Louis.
Jets 4, Coyotes 1:
Winnipeg scored three goals in the third period to knock off host Arizona.
Senators 4, Avalanche 3:
Mike Hoffman scored two goals to help Ottawa sweep the two regular-season games in Stockholm. Mark Stone and Johnny Oduya also scored for the Senators, who trailed 3-2 after two periods. Defenseman Erik Karlsson had two assists, giving the captain 17 points in 11 games this season.