NASHVILLE, TN (NEWS1130) - Mike Fisher had a goal and two assists and Pekka Rinne made 32 saves as the Nashville Predators became the first team to beat the Vancouver Canucks in regulation in 14 games with a 3-1 victory.
The loss ended a stretch of 13 games in which the Canucks earned at least a point. They had a 10-0-3 record during that time.
The Canucks controlled much of the play in the first period, though they only led 12-11 in the shot department through 20 minutes. They weren't able to beat Rinne on any of the 12 shots as the two teams remained scoreless after one period.
Just shy of the five-minute mark in the second period the Predators got their second powerplay of the game. Ryan Suter spotted Fisher at the side of the net and he banged the pass in to give the Preds a 1-0 lead.
Later in the period, the Canucks were on a powerplay trying to pull the game even, but it was Nashville earning the best scoring chance. Sami Salo got caught deep and Fisher broke in two-on-one with Sergei Kostitsyn. Fisher feathered a beautiful backhand saucer pass onto Kostitsyn's stick and he blasted it past Roberto Luongo to make it a 2-0 game in favour of Nashville.
With time ticking down on the middle period the Canucks got on the board. Dale Weise picked up a loose puck at the top of the crease and he chipped it up and over Rinne to cut the deficit to one.
The Predators came out very strong in the third period. Luongo was forced to make a number of tough saves, including a Shea Weber breakaway. He also got some help from his posts on two occasions.
With just under three minutes to play in regulation, Luongo could hold his team in the game no longer. Martin Erat hit David Legwand wide open at the top of the circle and he hammered the rolling puck up and over Luongo to round out the scoring.
The Canucks will play the third game of their six-game road trip on Thursday night in Detroit. They'll be trying to put an end to the Red Wings' NHL record 23-game home winning streak.