Predators hold off Oilers

Nashville, TN (SportsNetwork.com) - Filip Forsberg and Mike Ribeiro each had a goal and an assist and the Nashville Predators used a three-goal first period en route to a 3-2 victory over the Edmonton Oilers on Tuesday.

Matt Cullen also scored and Forsberg continued his hot play as the rookie forward has totaled six goals and four assists over a six-game point streak for the Predators, who have won three straight games.

Pekka Rinne turned aside 21 shots in the win.

Benoit Pouliot and Nail Yakupov both lit the lamp for Edmonton, which had won its two previous games.

"When you don't get the points you leave upset. It's always winning or misery," Edmonton head coach Dallas Eakins said on the loss.

Viktor Fasth was pulled after allowing three goals on 17 shots in the first period and Ben Scrivens stopped all 18 shots in relief.

Nashville needed just 2:51 to find the back of the net. The Predators forced a turnover in the neutral zone and Neal roared up the right side. Neal's shot slipped through the pads of Fasth and Ribeiro was there to sweep the puck into an empty net.

Midway through the first, Seth Jones' shot from the slot deflected wide. The puck caromed off the boards and Cullen's diving backhander extended Nashville's lead to 2-0.

"Certainly that was a big goal," Predators head coach Peter Laviolette said. "These guy are just athletic and that was an athletic goal."

Ribeiro stripped the puck off a defender and sent a pass to Forsberg, who banked a shot off Fasth for a 3-0 lead with 54 seconds remaining in the first.

Ryan Nugent-Hopkins dropped a pass back to Pouliot, who sniped a shot over the shoulder of Rinne from the top of the left circle 31 seconds into the second.

Yakupov got the Oilers within a goal with 5:18 left in the middle stanza. David Perron took the puck off the boards, muscled his way toward the net and sent a pass to Yakupov, who one-timed it into the open net.

Neal got free on a breakaway nearly eight minutes into the third, but Scrivens made a huge stop to keep the Oilers in it.

Edmonton pulled Scrivens with over a minute to play, but was unable to net the tying goal.

Game Notes

Neal fired a game-high 10 shots on net ... Nashville also defeated Edmonton, 4-1, on Oct. 29 ... Predators defenseman Anton Volchenkov returned from a four-game suspension ... Rinne is 5-1-0 in his past six games ... Nashville improved to 10-1-1 this season when scoring at least two goals.