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Dumont, Mason give Predators third straight win

Feb 6, 2008 - 5:52 AM By Jim Diamond PA SportsTicker Contributing Writer

NASHVILLE, Tennessee (Ticker) -- Three days after having his 16-game points streak halted, J.P. Dumont is ready to start another one.

Dumont scored midway through the third period and Chris Mason made 31 saves as the Nashville Predators skated to a 1-0 victory over the Carolina Hurricanes on Tuesday.

"I am going to start another streak today, and that was a great way to start it," Dumont said.

Captain Jason Arnott returned after a one-game absence with a leg injury to record an assist for the Predators, who have won four straight at home and six of eight overall.

"His line was really good," Nashville coach Barry Trotz said of Arnott's unit that also includes Dumont and Alexander Radulov. "I wasn't really sure how much legs he was going to have since he has been off the ice for a few days. But he looked fine tonight, and it really showed on the goal."

Cam Ward turned aside 33 shots for Carolina, which has lost seven of 11 and fell to 0-2-0 on its five-game road trip.

"I think at the end of the day, we can all admit that we have got to be better," Ward said. "I don't think that anyone is going to be satisfied with the way things went today. We've got to score goals and pay the price to get in front of the net to try to get those dirty goals."

Hurricanes coach Peter Laviolette, however, believed his team put forth a solid effort.

"I thought we played hard," he said. "We slugged it out toe-to-toe with them the whole game. We made one mistake, and they earned the win. That ended up being the difference."

After failing to record a point in Saturday's 3-2 overtime win over Phoenix, Dumont converted a slick passing sequence at 11:59 of the third to snap a scoreless tie.

The play started with a huge check by Predators defenseman Marek Zidlicky on All-Star Eric Staal in Nashville's zone. Alexander Radulov then carried the puck into the offensive end and, from the high slot, fed Arnott in the right faceoff circle.

"Zidlicky made a great play to separate Staal from the puck, and we zipped it up top to get a 3-on-1, and we executed that," Trotz said.

The All-Star proceeded to make a cross-slot pass to Dumont, who beat Ward from the left side for his 19th goal of the season.

"It was pretty much a three-man breakaway there," Dumont said. "It was a great pass by Rads, and after that, it was a back-door pass from Arnie. It hit the post and went in. It was a big play, but it all started by a good play defensively."

"They were sending three guys, and all three guys on our line kind of read it and waited at the far blue line," Arnott added. "It was basically a 3-on-1, and J.P. just put it in."

Ward was disappointed with his team's breakdown on the goal.

"For the most part, I think that we played pretty strong defensively up until that point in the third period," Ward said. "I'm not sure how that play evolved, but we can't afford to be giving up a 3-on-1 in a tied hockey game late in the third period."

Dumont was glad to have Arnott back on his line.

"We all enjoy playing with each other, especially now with Rads," Dumont said. "When you play with the same guy for a while, it is a lot easier to play. For me, I like to play with Arnie. He is a big presence in the middle. I know where he is going to be on the ice, and we proved it again tonight."

"We're playing well as a line," Arnott said. "We are working hard, and that's the main thing. If we play solid defensively, the offense seems to come."

Dumont's goal was all the support Mason needed as he turned aside 13 shots in the first period, 10 in the second and eight in the third en route to his fourth shutout of the season and 12th career.

"I felt really good today," Mason said. "I was seeing the puck well, and the guys let me see it. We contained rebounds and eliminated second chances. I need to start playing like that every night and give this team a chance to win. ... Luckily, one (goal) was enough."

"He's been really good," Trotz said. "I think that both of our goalies have been 3-1-1 in their last five starts. We have a nice rotation there. I thought (Mason) made a really nice save on a kind of funky bounce off of the Zamboni door."

Mason and Trotz also credited Carolina's netminder for his performance.

"Cam Ward made a lot of great saves," Mason said. "Letting in one goal, you're not going to lose too often."

"I thought both goaltenders played well, and once the game settled down, I realized that there weren't going to be too many goals," Trotz added.

Despite the fact Raleigh, North Carolina and Nashville are separated by just 456 miles, the Hurricanes were making their first visit to the Sommet Center since December 3, 2002.

The game was scoreless through 40 minutes thanks to strong goaltending, as Ward made 22 saves and Mason turned aside 23 shots. Nashville carried the play in the third, creating several scoring opportunities before Dumont finally solved Ward.

The Predators improved to 3-0-0 against Southeast Division teams this season, while the Hurricanes fell to 0-4-0 against Central Division opponents.

Radulov had his six-game goal-scoring streak snapped.