In a somewhat surprising move, Pekka Rinne started this afternoon against the New York Islanders – not Anders Lindback – on the front end of a back-to-back. Rinne didn’t disappoint, turning away 36 of the 37 shots he faced in the Predators’ 3-1 victory. It was the Preds’ fifth straight win.
The Preds didn’t waste any time to jump on the Islanders in this matinee contest. Sergei Kostitsyn scored just 2:17 into the game, his sixth goal in seven games this month. Kostitsyn’s goal, his third in as many games, came via another wicked wrister off the rush.
Over three minutes later, Matt Halischuk beat Islanders goalie Kevin Poulin to record his 10th goal of the season. David Legwand capped off the first period scoring at the 11:37 mark when he finished off a nice tic-tac-toe play with Martin Erat and Colin Wilson to give the Preds a 3-0 lead through 20 minutes.
The second period was all about Rinne. New York poured 19 shots on goal, but Rinne was there to close the door. The key moment of the period came when the Islanders had a five-on-three power play opportunity. Rinne stood tall throughout the penalty kill and staved off a ferocious attack.
The scoring chances weren’t as frequent for the Isles in the third period, but they finally beat Rinne at 16:02 when John Tavares re-directed a pass from Matt Moulson to break the shutout. In the final minutes, the Preds held on for a 3-1 victory to kick off their three-game road trip on the right note.
Defenseman Ryan Suter did not return after the first period due to an upper body injury that threatened to keep him out of the game before it started. After Suter exited, the Islanders registered 31 of their 37 shots.
Rinne was, once again, fantastic in net. During the current five-game winning streak, Rinne boasts a 1.61 goals-against average and .952 save percentage. His first half inconsistencies seem to be behind him, for the moment. The second half of the season is historically his time to shine.
Kostitsyn, who has now scored six goals on his last eight shots, seems to be getting hot at the right time. Last season, the Preds thrived when Kostitsyn produced.
The Predators (26-15-4) will make their way to Madison Square Garden tomorrow night to face the Eastern Conference-best New York Rangers.
