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Rinne and Preds blank Wild

Thu 18th, March 2010

Nashville, TN (Sports Network) - Pekka Rinne stopped all 17 shots he faced for his fifth shutout of the season, as Nashville downed Minnesota, 5-0.

Jason Arnott, Colin Wilson and Patric Hornqvist all recorded a goal and assist each for the Predators, who have won four in a row and pulled into a tie with the Kings for sixth place in the Western Conference with 85 points.

"In the first period both teams had chances, but we got those goals, and I think it kind of took the wind out of them," Rinne said. "We didn't let up after that and kept pushing the game."

Josh Harding was pulled after allowing four goals on 26 shots through two periods. Wade Dubielewicz made 10 stops in the third period for the Wild, whose three-game win streak was snapped.

Wilson got the Preds on the board a little more than seven minutes into the game, then J.P. Dumont doubled the advantage a little less than two minutes later.

Arnott slid a shot past Harding with 39 seconds to go in the first and Nashville led 3-0.

Marcel Goc opened the scoring for Nashville at the 2:19 mark of the second period for a 4-0 game, then Hornqvist made it a five-goal edge on the power play by beating Dubielewicz at 7:35 of the third period.

The home team protected the lead with expert defense, only letting Rinne handle four shots apiece in the second and third periods.

"I thought it was the start that we wanted; we generated a couple of good opportunities, but we weren't able to score," Minnesota coach Todd Richards said. "We lost a lot of battles and spent a lot of time in our own zone."

Game Notes

Rinne recorded his 12th career shutout, all with Nashville...The clubs split four games in the season series...The Preds host Columbus on Saturday while the Wild travel to Columbus on Friday.