Nashville, TN – Mired in a losing streak, the Minnesota Wild couldn't get out of their own way to steal a win.
Indeed, it's hard to imagine an easier shootout than the one Nashville goaltender Pekka Rinne faced on Wednesday night.
Jordin Tootoo had a third period goal and Colin Wilson was the only skater to score in a shootout, leading the Predators to a 2-1 win over the Wild.
Rinne had 31 saves in regulation and four more in overtime, but only needed to make one in the shootout after two Wild skaters lost the puck on their attempts.
Matt Cullen made it about two-thirds of the way to the net before letting the puck drift off his stick and to the left boards. Minnesota's last skater, Pierre-Marc Bouchard, was too close to Rinne when he tried a spin move and couldn't get a proper shot off.
All Nashville needed was Wilson's goal, which he scored on a deke to his backhand. The Predators moved to 2-3-0 since a five-game winning streak, capturing their first game since announcing Tuesday that top defenseman and leading scorer Shea Weber is out indefinitely with a concussion.
Dany Heatley scored the game-tying goal with 3:59 remaining in regulation and Josh Harding had 24 saves for the Wild, who have lost eight in a row (0-5-3) since a seven-game winning streak.
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