NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Nick Bjugstad and Vincent Trocheck scored 29 seconds apart in the second period, and the Florida Panthers beat the Nashville Predators 7-4 on Saturday.
Jaromir Jagr also scored for the 1,899th point of his NHL career as the Panthers kicked off a five-game trip by scoring four goals in the second.
Trocheck finished with two goals and an assist, Jonathan Huberdeau added a goal and two assists, and Jussi Jokinen had a goal and an assist to help Florida sweep the season series against Nashville.
Nashville's Pekka Rinne gave up four goals on 16 shots, including three on six shots in the second period, before being pulled. Juuse Saros quickly gave up a power-play goal to Aleksander Barkov, who capped the four-goal flurry for the Panthers before midway through the period.
Viktor Arvidsson had his first career hat trick for Nashville.
The Panthers came into Nashville for their second game after their mandatory five-day break. They looked much sharper than they did in a 6-3 loss to Los Angeles on Thursday night and stunned the Predators in the second with three goals in a 2:29 span.
For the Predators, who had allowed six goals only twice before this season, this was their worst game this season.
The 44-year-old Jagr started the scoring for Florida. He came in two points shy of reaching 1,900 for his lengthy career and picked up one just 4:24 into the game, redirecting the puck past Rinne by raising his stick for the tip and a 1-0 lead.
Nashville tied it up midway through the period just four seconds into a man advantage. Roman Josi got the puck off the faceoff at the blue line, and his slap shot went off the top of Roberto Luongo's glove and into the net.
The Panthers dominated the second, taking a 2-1 lead when Jokinen scored his seventh this season off a nice cross-ice pass from Trocheck at 5:52. Bjugstad beat Rinne with a backhander at 7:24, then Trocheck got the puck on a breakaway and beat Rinne's glove 29 seconds later to chase the goalie. Barkov capped the scoring with a wrister.
Nashville briefly tied it at 2 at 6:56 on Arvidsson's first goal. With Nashville down 5-2, Arvidsson added a short-handed goal at 17:01 off a one-timer from the left circle from Ryan Ellis. Arvidsson got the hat trick with 1:12 left, redirecting Yannik Weber's shot.
Huberdeau scored 2:30 into the third to squelch any thoughts of a Nashville rally before Trocheck's empty-netter in the final minute.
Notes: Trocheck skated in his 200th NHL game. ... Huberdeau has five points (two goals, three assists) in his first three games this season. ... Arvidsson has three shorth-anded goals this season, tying him for the NHL lead. ... Josi has power-play goals in consecutive games for the first time in his career. ... Panthers forward Reilly Smith also had two assists, giving him 101 for his career.
UP NEXT
Panthers: Visit San Jose on Wednesday night.
Predators: Host Dallas on Sunday.
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