Nino Niederreiter scored a pair of goals, including an empty netter to put the game away as the Minnesota Wild beat the Nashville Predators 4-2 in Nashville, Thursday.
It was just the fourth regulation loss at home for the Predators this season.
Devan Dubnyk stopped 27 shots for the Wild. He improved to 14-3-2 since joining Minnesota in mid-January.
Erik Haula added a goal and an assist for the Wild. His goal put Minnesota on the scoreboard first and was the lone score in the first period.
Seconds into the second period, Mike Fischer evened the score, launching what proved to be a seesaw middle stanza. Kyle Brodziak put the Wild back on top 2-1, but Nashville’s Craig Smith again pulled the Predators even at two.
Brodziak also finished with a goal and an assist.
Niederreiter put the Wild up for good less than two minutes later, slipping his wrist shot past Nashville goaltender Pekka Rinne for his 20th goal of the season.
Coyle threads the pass, Niederreiter gets it done. 3 – 2 @mnwild in the 3rd. #MINvsNSHhttps://t.co/6hFYyyxeD1
— NHL (@NHL) February 27, 2015
Niederreiter then added his 21st on an empty-netter to ice the game
The Wild travel to Colorado on Saturday.
Scoring Summary
1st period: 17:35 MIN – Erik Haula (6) Slap shot – Assist: Justin Fontaine (13), Kyle Brodziak (9) 1-0 MIN
2nd period: :16 NSH – Mike Fischer (14) Slap shot – Assist: Matt Cullen (11), Mattias Ekholm (10) 1-1 Tie
2nd period: 7:12 MIN – Kyle Brodziak (8) Slap shot – Assist: Haula (4) 2-1 MIN
2nd period: 8:31 NSH – Craig Smith (20) Wrist shot – Assist: Fischer (18), Cullen (12) 2-2 Tie
2nd period: 9:48 MIN – Nino Niederreiter (20) Wrist shot – Assist: Charlie Coyle (19), Jordan Schroeder (4) 3-2 MIN
3rd period: 18:21 MIN – EN Niederreiter (21) Wrist shot – Assist: None 4-2 MIN
