NASHVILLE — Vincent Trocheck scored the deciding goal in the shootout to give the Florida Panthers a 3-2 victory over the Nashville Predators on Saturday night.
Denis Malgin and Brett Connolly scored in regulation for Florida, which has won two of three. The Panthers have gone to overtime in four of their eight games this season.
Florida’s Sam Montembeault made 25 saves and denied all three Nashville shooters in the shootout.
Roman Josi and Kyle Turris scored the goals for Nashville, which has lost three of four. Ryan Ellis had two assists for the Predators, who played their first overtime game of the season.
Malgin scored the game’s first goal at 13:33 of the second period.
With the Panthers on a power play, Trocheck sent a cross-ice pass from above the right faceoff circle to Malgin in the lower part of the left circle. From there, he lifted a wrist shot high to the glove side of Nashville goaltender Pekka Rinne.
Rinne made 28 saves in the game and allowed just the one goal in the shootout.
Connolly made it 2-0 with 50 seconds remaining in the second. Skating around the Nashville zone with the puck, Connolly sent a wrist shot through traffic toward the Nashville net from the middle of the blue line and beat Rinne low to the glove side.
Connolly has four goals in his current three-game goal scoring streak.
Josi ended Montembeault’s shutout bid at 9:07 of the third on a one-timer from above the left faceoff circle off a pass from Ellis.
Turris evened the game at 2 at 13:30 of the third with a wrist shot just underneath the cross bar on a Nashville power play.
Rinne picked up a secondary assist on Turris’ goal.
Notes
Turris’ power-play goal ended Florida’s stretch of not allowing a power-play goal in their last four games. . Nashville LW Filip Forsberg missed his second consecutive game due to a lower-body injury. . Predators C Ryan Johansen and RW Craig Smith both played in their 600th career NHL games. . Nashville C Yakov Trenin made his NHL debut.
Up Next
Panthers: Host Pittsburgh Penguins on Tuesday.
Predators: Host Anaheim Ducks on Tuesday.
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Jim Diamond, The Associated Press