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Sports

Rinne makes 24 saves in Preds' 3-1 win over Jets

Associated Press
Published | Updated

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Pekka Rinne made 24 saves to lead the Nashville Predators to a 3-1 victory over the Winnipeg Jets on Saturday night.

Matt Halischuk, Gabriel Bourque and Shea Weber scored for Nashville, which snapped a two-game losing streak.

Tim Stapleton had the lone goal for the Jets, who have lost three of their last four. One night after rallying back from a three goal-deficit and winning in overtime in Washington, the Jets lost their 21st road game of the season.

Halischuk scored the game's first goal at 2:56 of the second period. After a faceoff deep in the Nashville zone, Alexander Radulov carried the puck into the neutral zone. At the center-ice dot, he found Halischuk on his right. Without breaking stride, Halischuk entered Winnipeg's zone and pulled up at the top of the right faceoff dot. From there, he fired a slap shot over the glove of Ondrej Pavelec for his 13th goal of the season.

Radulov has a goal and an assist in his two games after returning to the NHL after spending the last four seasons in the KHL in his native Russia.

Midway through the second, Bourque doubled the Nashville lead. Nick Spaling's shot from the high slot hit the stick of Winnipeg defenseman Randy Jones in front, and Bourque quickly tapped it by Pavelec low to the glove side.

Spaling's assist ended a 12-game skid without a point.

Stapleton drew the Jets to within one at 12:53 of the third. From behind the Nashville net, Spencer Machacek spotted Stapleton skating through the low slot. Stapleton split two Nashville players and had an easy tap-in for his 11th goal of the season.

Weber finished the scoring with an empty-net power-play goal from near center ice with 10.1 seconds remaining in the third.

The first period remained scoreless thanks in large part to a blocked shot by Nashville defenseman Kevin Klein. Rinne was out of his crease after making a stop on Winnipeg's Andrew Ladd, but the puck came right back to the Jets captain in the slot. Klein filled the vacated crease well and was able to deflect Ladd's wrist shot to the right corner.

Notes: Nashville killed off Winnipeg's only power play of the game. The Predators have been short-handed just once in each of their last four games. ... Nashville RW Jordin Tootoo was a healthy scratch Saturday. Previously, his only two missed games this season were as a result of a suspension for hitting Buffalo G Ryan Miller Dec. 3. ... The Jets are 1-23-3 when trailing after two periods this season. ... Winnipeg RW Chris Thorburn missed his sixth consecutive game with a lower-body injury.