The Nashville Predators were just dealing with a stretch of not being able to win away from home, but they have put that behind them quickly on this recent road trip. That includes on Monday night, as they went north of the border to shut out the Toronto Maple Leafs, 4-0, at Scotiabank Arena. Pekka Rinne made 18 saves to record his third shutout of the season, and the 54th of his career. He got plenty of support with goals from four different players, which were Mattias Ekholm, Kevin Fiala, Colton Sissons, and P.K. Subban, with Ekholm, Fiala, and Sissons also adding an assist apiece to their day.
The Leafs definitely had their chances throughout the night, but they hit the post three times despite beating Rinne on multiple looks. They also had an Auston Matthews goal taken away after a review, as they were called for offsides to wipe that away. Once they were trailing after 40 minutes of play, they had to know they were in danger due to Nashville improving to 22-2-0 when leading after two periods this season. Toronto's recent hot streak saw them win five games in a row, but they have since dropped four of their past five games. The one victory in that span was a dominant 5-0 shutout of the Vancouver Canucks on Saturday.
The win for the Predators came in their third contest over the past four games, which includes a 4-1 win over the Montreal Canadiens. They did come away with a point in Detroit the night before, but fell in overtime to the Red Wings, 4-3. Rinne's efforts ties him with Marc-Andre Fleury, Bernie Parent, and Ed Giacomin for 21st on the all-time shutout list.
Nashville was also happy to see Ekholm stay hot, as he now has 29 points in 43 games this season. His career-high for a season is 35 points, which came in the 2015-2016 campaign. The Predators will look to continue their string of success on the road Wednesday night against the Chicago Blackhawks. Meanwhile, the Maple Leafs will visit the New Jersey Devils on Thursday night.
The Leafs definitely had their chances throughout the night, but they hit the post three times despite beating Rinne on multiple looks. They also had an Auston Matthews goal taken away after a review, as they were called for offsides to wipe that away. Once they were trailing after 40 minutes of play, they had to know they were in danger due to Nashville improving to 22-2-0 when leading after two periods this season. Toronto's recent hot streak saw them win five games in a row, but they have since dropped four of their past five games. The one victory in that span was a dominant 5-0 shutout of the Vancouver Canucks on Saturday.
The win for the Predators came in their third contest over the past four games, which includes a 4-1 win over the Montreal Canadiens. They did come away with a point in Detroit the night before, but fell in overtime to the Red Wings, 4-3. Rinne's efforts ties him with Marc-Andre Fleury, Bernie Parent, and Ed Giacomin for 21st on the all-time shutout list.
Nashville was also happy to see Ekholm stay hot, as he now has 29 points in 43 games this season. His career-high for a season is 35 points, which came in the 2015-2016 campaign. The Predators will look to continue their string of success on the road Wednesday night against the Chicago Blackhawks. Meanwhile, the Maple Leafs will visit the New Jersey Devils on Thursday night.
