EDMONTON – Craig Smith had a pair of goals as the Nashville Predators bounced back from their first regulation loss of the season, defeating the Edmonton Oilers 4-1 on Wednesday.
Shea Weber and Taylor Beck also scored for the Predators (6-1-2) who started a six-game road trip off on solid footing.
Taylor Hall replied for the Oilers (4-5-1), who saw a four-game win streak come to an end on that began on the heels of a disappointing 0-4-1 start to the season. The Oilers have yet to defeat a fellow Western Conference team this season.
Edmonton caught a huge break just a minute-and-a-half in as Nashville had a goal waved off, the third time in the last five games an Oilers opponent has had a goal disallowed. Nashville’s Smith poked a puck into the net from under the glove of Oilers’ goalie Ben Scrivens, but the ref was quick to call the goal off, and the decision stood up after video review.
Nashville also came close five minutes into the opening period when Anton Volchenkov rang a shot off the post.
The Predators controlled the bulk of the play in the first period, with 11 shots on Scrivens to Edmonton’s three on Pekka Rinne in the Nashville net.
Video review was called upon again 19 seconds into the second period when Edmonton fans thought that Oiler forward Ryan Nugent-Hopkins had scored from the top of the circle on Rinne, but it was quickly determined he had hit the crossbar.
Smith finally broke the scoring open for Nashville six minutes into the second period as a rebound landed on his stick and he tucked it in the net for his second of the season.
The Predators made it 2-0 a minute-and-a-half later as Colin Wilson spotted Beck get away from defender Brad Hunt and hit him on the fly for a goal into a wide-open net.
Weber’s rocket from the point added to Nashville’s lead just 24 seconds into the third period. The play was set up when a turnover in the Oilers’ zone went back to Weber.
The Oilers tried to get back into the game a couple minutes later as Justin Schultz blazed into the zone and attempted a wrap-around, but Rinne was quick to get across and make the save.
Hall ended Rinne’s shutout bid with 11 minutes left to play. A big rebound on a Nugent-Hopkins shot came to Hall, who buried his sixth of the season.
The Predators regained their three-goal cushion with just under eight minutes to play as Matt Cullen made a perfect pass on a two-on-one to feed Smith for his second of the night.
The Predators next game is on Friday in Calgary against the Flames. The Oilers conclude their season-high seven-game homestand on Saturday against the Vancouver Canucks.
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