Skip to content

NHL Game Summary - Minnesota at Nashville

Nashville, TN (SportsNetwork.com) - Nino Niederreiter scored the tiebreaking goal midway through the game and added an empty-netter with 1:39 remaining to help the Minnesota Wild earn a 4-2 win over the NHL-leading Nashville Predators on Thursday.

Erik Haula and Kyle Brodziak each had a goal and one assist for Minnesota, which improved to 14-3-2 since acquiring Devan Dubnyk last month.

Dubnyk, who has started all of the Wild's 19 games following the trade, stopped 27-of-29 Nashville shots.

Mike Fisher had a goal and one assist for the Predators, who got 26 saves from Pekka Rinne in a rare home loss.

Nashville had won six straight at Bridgestone Arena and entered a league-best 26-3-1 as the host.

"We need to be hungrier and execute better," Fisher said.

The teams combined for three goals in a 2:36 span in the second period.

Minnesota grabbed a 2-1 lead at 7:12 when Brodziak scored on a slap shot after a faceoff win by Haula.

The Predators tied it at 8:31 on a goal by Craig Smith. He carried the puck over the Minnesota blue line with speed, shielded the puck from Wild defenseman Marco Scandella and chipped it over Dubnyk.

Niederreiter scored off a pass from Charlie Coyle on the rush, beating Rinne on the blocker side at 9:48.

The Predators pulled Rinne with about three minutes left, and Niederreiter fired the puck from deep in the Minnesota zone into the vacated net.

"It was an up-and-down game, but I feel we deserved the win," Wild coach Mike Yeo said.

Haula, playing in his 100th NHL game, ripped a one-timer from just inside the blueline past Rinne to give the visitors a 1-0 lead with 2:25 remaining in the first period.

Matt Cullen set up Fisher for the tying goal with 16 seconds gone in the second. Fisher's blast from the high slot went off the post and then Dubnyk before trickling across the goal line.

Daily Newsletter

Get the latest trending sports news daily in your inbox