Predators hold off Avs to take 2-0 lead in series

Ryan Hartman’s emptynet goal with 1:09 left wound up the winner as the Predators held off the Avalanche 5-4 on Saturday in Nashville, Tenn., for a 2-0 lead in their first-round Western Conference series.

After Hartman gave the Predators a 5-3 lead, Alexander Kerfoot pulled the Avalanche to 5-4 with 35.8 seconds left.

But the Avalanche couldn’t get another puck past Predators goalie Pekka Rinne.

The Presidents’ Trophy winners started slowly, giving up a goal on the Avalanche’s first shot for a second straight game.

But the Predators rallied again to take their first 2-0 series lead when starting a best-of-seven series in their own building.

Kevin Fiala had a goal and an assist, and Viktor Arvidsson, Ryan Johansen and Austin Watson scored a goal apiece.

P.K. Subban and Mattias Ekholm each had two assists for the Predators, who have won 12 straight over the Avalanche. Rinne made 26 saves.

Nathan MacKinnon had a goal and an assist, and Gabriel Bourque and Gabriel Landeskog each added goal for the Avalanche.

Lightning 5, Devils 3: Alex Killorn scored twice in a four-goal second period, helping the Lightning beat the Devils in Tampa, Fla., for a 2-0 lead in the Eastern Conference series.

The Lightning scored three times in a 2:47 span in the second period, and the reeling Devils pulled goalie Keith Kinkaid after Killorn’s third goal in two games made it 5-1 with 6:48 left in the period. Kinkaid, whose stellar play since January helped the Devils finish strong and claim their first playoff berth since 2012, yielded five goals on 15 shots.

Nikita Kucherov, Brayden Point and Tyler Johnson also scored for the Lightning, who are up 2-0 in the series after going 0-2-1 against the Devils during the regular season.

Andrei Vasilevskiy stopped 41 shots, limiting the Devils to rookie Nico Hischier’s unassisted goal in the opening period, Sami Vatanen’s sixth career playoff goal late in the second, and Blake Coleman’s goal with eight minutes left in the third period.