New York, NY (Sports Network) - Tomas Vokoun made 38 saves and Scott Nichol
had a goal and an assist to lead the Nashville Predators over the New York
Rangers, 3-0, at Madison Square Garden.
Vokoun recorded his first shutout of the season and 17th of his career, as the
Predators won their third straight and second consecutive game against New
York teams. On Monday, Nashville beat the Islanders 2-1 in a shootout. The
club will go for the Metro-area sweep on Thursday when it completes its three-
game road trip in New Jersey.
Vokoun has been red hot during the Predators current winning streak, stopping
93 of the 95 shots he has faced. The two goals allowed over the streak is a
far cry from the 17 yielded by the club over the first three games of the
season.
Jason Arnott and Jerred Smithson also scored for Nashville, which evened its
record for the season at 3-3.
Henrik Lundqvist made 24 saves for the Rangers, who have lost four of their
last five games. Jaromir Jagr and Michael Nylander each had six-game point-
scoring streaks come to an end for New York, which was shut out for the first
time by the Predators.
Arnott started the scoring for the Predators 10:27 into the contest when he
wristed a shot past Lundqvist's stick side from the right circle.
Nichol made it a two-goal game 18 seconds short of the midway mark in the
second period, scoring his first goal of the season. He brought the puck into
the offensive zone along the right-side boards, skated across the crease and
beat Lundqvist through the five-hole with a backhander.
Smithson tallied a power-play goal with 1:48 left in the stanza. With
just two seconds left on a hooking penalty issued to New York's Fedor Tyutin,
Smithson gave Nashville a 3-0 lead heading into the second intermission.
Vokoun was solid over the first two periods, stopping a total of 25 shots with
14 coming in the second period alone.
Nashville then killed off a New York power play over the final 1:25 to secure
the blanking. The Rangers were actually skating 6-on-4, having lifted
Lundqvist for the extra skater.
