Rinne stellar in net, Predators blank Wild 4-0

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Pekka Rinne made 26 saves, Colton Sissons had a goal and an assist and the Nashville Predators beat the Minnesota Wild 4-0 on Thursday night.

Miikka Salomaki, Calle Jarnkrok and Craig Smith also scored for Nashville, which has won two straight.

Minnesota’s two-game winning streak ended.

The shutout was Rinne’s first of the season and 56th of his career. He improved his record on the season to 6-0-1. His best sequence came late in the first period, with the game scoreless.

With 1:09 remaining in the first, Rinne turned aside a backhand shot from Jason Zucker and then denied Mikko Koivu’s attempt at the rebound from just outside the crease.

Salomaki scored the game’s first goal 37 seconds into the second period.

Sissons carried the puck into the Minnesota zone on the right side. Sissons left a drop pass for Salomaki in the right circle, where he beat Wild goaltender Alex Stalock with a wrist shot high to the far side.

It was Salomaki’s first goal of the season. The Finnish winger began the season with Milwaukee of the AHL but played his third consecutive game since being recalled.

The goal was scored on Nashville’s fifth shot of the game, as most of the first period was played in the Predators’ end of the ice. Rinne stopped all 13 Minnesota shots he faced in the opening period.

Jarnkrok made it 2-0 with 28 seconds remaining in the second.

After taking a pass from Viktor Arvidsson at the top of the right circle, Jarnkrok beat Stalock with a wrist shot that went off of the far post and into the net for his second goal of the season.

Stalock finished with 17 saves.

Smith scored his first of the season at 6:58 of the third off assists from Nick Bonino and Rocco Grimaldi.

Sissons’ short-handed goal with 3:07 remaining completed the scoring.

NOTES: Stalock is 0-5-1 in his career against Nashville. … Minnesota G Devan Dubnyk did not make the trip to Nashville because of an upper-body injury sustained Tuesday night. … Predators LW Filip Forsberg missed his fourth consecutive game with a lower-body injury. … Nashville C Matt Duchene has assists in three straight games. He left the game in the third period with a lower-body injury and did not return.

UP NEXT

Wild: Host the Los Angeles Kings on Saturday.

Predators: Visit the Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday.