National Hockey League
BOXSCORE | RECAP
Nashville 6, Calgary 5
When: 9:00 PM ET, Friday, March 21, 2014
Where: Scotiabank Saddledome, Calgary, Alberta
Referees: Rob Martell, Brad Watson
Linesmen: Steve Barton, Trent Knorr
Attendance: 19289

Predators 6, Flames 5: Captain Shea Weber capped his second two-goal performance of the season with 5:32 left in the third period to snap a tie and Matt Cullen recorded a tally and three assists as visiting Nashville held on to end its three-game losing streak.

Patric Hornqvist registered a goal and two assists, defenseman Victor Bartley netted his first NHL tally and Viktor Stalberg also scored for the Predators, who were outscored 11-2 during their skid. Carter Hutton picked up the win by making 10 saves in relief of Pekka Rinne, who allowed four goals on 18 shots.

Mike Cammalleri scored two goals and set up another, blue-liner Kris Russell collected a tally and two assists and Mikael Backlund added one of each for Calgary, which suffered its second loss in six home games. Jiri Hudler also tallied and Joey MacDonald yielded two goals on nine shots after replacing rookie Joni Ortio, who stopped 9-of-13 shots.

Nashville took a 2-0 lead less than six minutes into the contest as Bartley and Weber scored 49 seconds apart, but Calgary halved the deficit on Russell's power-play goal with 34 seconds remaining in the first period. After Hornqvist restored the two-goal advantage 4:10 into the second, Cammalleri and Hudler tallied in a 51-second span to forge a 3-3 tie.

Stalberg buried his second stuff attempt at the right post 52 seconds later to put the Predators back in front and chase Ortio, but Backlund fired the puck into a vacant net with 6:29 left in the session following a turnover by Rinne, whose night also came to an end. Weber gave Nashville the lead for good late in the third, beating MacDonald with a one-timer from the right faceoff circle during a power play for his 18th of the season. Cullen added much-needed insurance with 2:52 remaining as Cammalleri completed his fourth two-goal effort of the campaign 28 seconds later.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Calgary RW Brian McGrattan notched an assist on Backlund's goal for his career-high sixth point of the season. The enforcer notched five points as a rookie with Ottawa in 2005-06. ... Predators C Calle Jarnkrok made his NHL debut and recorded an assist on Stalberg's tally. The 22-year-old was acquired from Detroit in the trade-deadline deal that sent C David Legwand to the Red Wings. ... Weber pulled into a tie with Ottawa's Erik Karlsson for second in goals among defensemen. Winnipeg's Dustin Byfuglien is the leader with 19 tallies, although he has spent time at forward this season. ... Hudler returned to Calgary's lineup after missing seven games with a lower-body injury.
Top Game Performances
 
Nashville   Calgary
Matt Cullen 4 Points Michael Cammalleri 3
Shea Weber 2 Goals Michael Cammalleri 2
Matt Cullen 3 Assists Kris Russell 2
Shea Weber 1 Power Play Goals Kris Russell 1
N/A Short Handed Goals N/A
Carter Hutton .909 Save Percentage Joey MacDonald .778
Pekka Rinne 14 Saves Joni Ortio 9
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Shots Goals Power Play Penalty Kill Penalty Mins Face Offs Won
Nashville 22 6 1-2 1-2 4 33
Calgary 29 5 1-2 1-2 4 30
Upcoming Games
  • Calgary will play their next game on the road against Edmonton. The Flames have a W/L % of .321 after a win and .452 after a loss.
  • Nashville will play their next game on the road against Chicago. The Predators have a W/L % of .483 after a win and .381 after a loss.