Ellis scores twice to lead Predators past Coyotes, 3-1
After 3-game win streak, Arizona drops 3rd straight
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Ryan Ellis scored twice, Pekka Rinne made 25 saves and the Nashville Predators beat the Arizona Coyotes 3-1 on Monday night.
Viktor Arvidsson also scored for the Predators, who have won four of five. Craig Smith added two assists.
Oliver Ekman-Larsson had the lone goal and Mike Smith stopped 28 shots for Arizona, which has lost three straight.
Rinne was lightly tested in the first period, making just five saves, but the action picked up after that as the Finn made 11 saves in the second and nine in the third. His best sequence came midway through the second, when he denied two attempts by Josh Jooris and one by Jamie McGinn in an 11-second span.
Arvidsson scored the game’s first goal five minutes into the second period.
Colin Wilson’s shot from the slot was stopped by Mike Smith, but Christian Dvorak’s clearing attempt ricocheted off Arvidsson’s stick and over Mike Smith.
The goal was Arvidsson’s 27th of the season. Arvidsson has goals in three consecutive games and at least one point in his last five.
Ellis doubled the Nashville lead at 16:44 of the second.
From the left
EAST
point,
Welcome to the lone topsy-turvy bracket after losses by No. 1 overall seed Villanova and No. 2 seed Duke.
Now third-seeded Baylor (27-7) is the highest remaining seed entering a matchup with seventhseeded South Carolina (2410), which is in the Sweet 16 for the first time in the current tournament format after hanging 65 second-half points on the preseason No. 1-ranked Blue Devils in Sunday’s 88-81 upset.
The other half of Friday’s bracket in New York features fourth-seeded Florida (26-8) against No. 8 seed Wisconsin (27-9), which upset the reigning champion Wildcats on Saturday. The Badgers are in the Sweet 16 for the sixth time in seven years behind Smith sent a pass to Ellis above the left faceoff circle where he beat Smith with a one-timer high to the glove side.
Ellis made it 3-0 at 6:35 of the third.
Craig Smith carried the puck into the Arizona zone and from near the right boards found Ellis at the right point, where he fired another one-timer by Mike Smith.
Ellis has 14 goals and 34 points this season, establishing a career best for the defenseman. Bronson Koenig and Nigel Hayes — two holdovers from a run to the nationaltitle game in 2015.
“You have all types of your ranking systems, statistic, analytics guys that they put,” Hayes said. “The thing is with all those algorithms, they can’t calculate heart, will to win, toughness, desire. They can’t put that into a formula to come out with a percentage chance to win, and that’s the things that we have.”