*Photo from TSN*
Calle Jarnkrok had a good night. So did Juuse Saros. That's all the Nashville Predators needed in Florida. Jarnkrok scored twice, Mattias Ekholm added an assist, and the Predators topped the Florida Panthers with a 2-1 win Thursday night in Florida.
Jonathan Huberdeau started the scoring for the Panthers with just 1:22 left in the first period, snapping his 11th goal of the season past Saros to give the Panthers a 1-0 lead. Jarnkrok scored his 8th goal of the season 7:25 into the second to tie things up at one. It remained tied until 1:17 into the 3rd period, when Jarnkrok scored his 9th of the season to give Nashville a 2-1 lead, which they didn't give up.
Predators coach John Hynes said of Jarnkrok's game that "It's nice to see him be able to get rewarded for the opportunities he's getting. And when he's getting his opportunities, he's bearing down. You don't score if you're not in those scoring areas and you're not finishing your chances, but it's how he goes about his business. The way he practices is the same way he plays in the game, and that's why he's been able to execute as well as he has."
Saros got the win for Nashville with a good game, in what has been a rocky season for Saros. He stopped 40 shots out of 41 that came his way, getting a high shot volume from the potent offense of the Panthers. Saros increased his record to 6-5-0 with the victory, while Nashville sits in 6th place in the Central Division, with a 13-16-1 record on the season.
Hynes said of the performance of Saros that "He was very good in practice yesterday. He was sharp, and it was nice to see him come in, and I think it was a huge boost to the team that he came in and played the way that he played. You could feel it on the bench, and he came up with some big saves for us and that's what you need. You have to have .915, .920 goaltending percentages in this League to win every night, so it's good to have it."
Sergei Bobrovsky started in goal once again for the Panthers, getting tagged with the loss this time around. Bobrovsky stopped 25 shots out of the 27 that came at him, with Jarnkrok the only kryptonite this time around. Bobrovsky's record fell to 12-3-2 this season, while Florida sits in second place in the central, with a 19-6-4 record.
Panthers coach Joel Quenneville said of the loss that "The games are going to get harder here. You've got Nashville playing for their lives now to try and get into the race and be a part of the playoff picture. Everybody knows the value of the points going forward. Every night, you need everybody pushing. Every shift becomes more magnified and important. That's what the regular season's going to be like."
The Panthers and Predators face off again Saturday afternoon in Sunrise, FL, with Chris Driedger confirmed as the starter for the Panthers. Pekka Rinne is expected to start for Nashville.
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