NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Reid Schaefer and Ozzy Wiesblatt each scored their first NHL goal, Juuse Saros made 27 saves and the Nashville Predators defeated the Calgary Flames 5-1 on Tuesday night.
Michael Bunting had a goal and an assist, Steven Stamkos and Jonathan Marchessault also scored, and Nicolas Hague had a pair of assists for the Predators, winners of three of four.
Morgan Frost scored and Devin Cooley and Dustin Wolf combined for 23 saves for Calgary, which concluded a five-game road trip 2-2-1.
Schaefer scored the game’s first goal at 6:24 of the opening period.
Parked just outside the crease, Shaefer collected a loose puck and slid it past Cooley for his first goal, playing in his third NHL game.
Saros’ best stop came on a breakaway by Jonathan Huberdeau with 3:45 remaining in the first. Huberdeau forced a neutral zone turnover from Hague and then skated in all alone on Saros, who denied Huberdeau’s backhand with a sprawling left pad save.
Stamkos made it 2-0 at 5:04 of the second.
After taking a pass from Ryan O’Reilly, Luke Evangelista carried the puck behind the Calgary net and found Stamkos on the doorstep. The goal was the 1,200th point of Stamkos’ career, becoming the 53rd player in NHL history to reach that mark.
Marchessault extended the Nashville lead to 3-0 with 5:35 left in the second and Wiesblatt followed 1:07 later, scoring his first career NHL goal on a tap in off of a Bunting pass. Tuesday was NHL game number 28 for Wiesblatt, a Calgary native.
Cooley made 12 saves before being replaced by Wolf at the start of the third.
Bunting scored the only goal against Wolf, who made 11 saves.
Frost spoiled Saros’ shutout bid with a power-play goal 13:39 of the third.
Up next
Flames host the Minnesota Wild on Thursday.
Predators visit the Florida Panthers on Thursday.
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AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl
Jim Diamond, The Associated Press
