Nashville, TN (SportsNetwork.com) - Ryan Ellis scored the winner in the third period to help the Nashville Predators take a 3-2 victory over the New York Islanders on Saturday.
Seth Jones and Patric Hornqvist scored for the Predators, who had lost three of four coming into the game. Pekka Rinne made 14 stops in the win.
"Just put the puck on net. I think that is what we have been doing lately, but we weren't getting bounces," Ellis said. "Tonight we did get a few, and that's what we need to win."
Frans Nielsen and John Tavares scored for the Islanders, who have lost three of four. Evgeni Nabokov gave up all three goals on 31 shots.
"It was one of those games, especially as an offensive player, where we really didn't feel like we had a whole lot of room," Tavares said. "Pucks were bouncing, and we couldn't seem to get it done when we needed to."
With the score tied early in the third, the Predators took a 3-2 lead. Matt Cullen sent a lead pass through the neutral zone to Ellis, who took the puck into the New York zone and from the high slot blasted a low shot past the right pad of Nabokov 3:23 in.
Rinne needed to make just five stops in the third period to help Nashville hold on for the win.
After a scoreless first period, the Predators got on the board just 1:03 into the second period on the power play as a pass from David Legwand from the right circle to the left saw the puck one-timed in by Jones.
The Islanders tied the game at 12:39 of the middle stanza when a trailing Nielsen took a pass from Kyle Okposo in the slot and snapped a shot past Rinne.
Just under three minutes later, the Islanders took a 2-1 lead when Tavares banked the puck in off Rinne in from behind the left side of the net, but the Predators tied the game with 52.8 seconds left in the middle frame as Hornqvist's shot from the right wing beat Nabokov.
Game Notes
The Islanders host the Sabres on Tuesday ... The Predators host the Panthers on Tuesday ... Nashville has won three straight against the Islanders and eight of nine, overall ... Nashville was 1-for-2 on the power play while New York was 0-for-3.
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