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Weber, Arnott propel Predators past Hurricanes

Nov 23, 2008 - 11:24 PM RALEIGH, North Carolina (Ticker) -- Defenseman Shea Weber recorded two goals and an assist as the Nashville Predators scored three times in the second period and cruised to a 5-2 triumph over the Carolina Hurricanes on Sunday.

Captain Jason Arnott scored twice, Scott Nichol also tallied and Martin Erat notched two assists as Nashville claimed the victory in the lone meeting between the teams this season.

Dan Ellis finished with 24 saves for the Predators, who snapped a modest two-game losing streak.

Matt Cullen and Chad LaRose scored nearly six minutes apart in the third period and Cam Ward turned aside 25 shots for Carolina, which went 0-for-8 on the power play and saw its three-game winning streak come to an end.

"Special teams won us the game," Nashville coach Barry Trotz said. "The penalty kill was outstanding, especially in the first period when we were on our heels. We were good on the boards."

"Our penalty killers did a heck of a job," Ellis said. "I don't think they got very many shots. I know I didn't have to make many saves. Our killers did an unbelievable job with their sticks and lanes and blocks. That really got us through that first period."

Arnott opened the scoring with 6:01 remaining in the first period after accepting a cross-slot feed from J.P. Dumont and tapping it past Ward.

After Nichol scored 2:45 into the second, Weber gave Nashville a three-goal bulge nearly six minutes later by beating Ward from just outside the left faceoff circle.

Arnott added his second goal of the game and 10th of the season just 5 1/2 minutes later to give Nashville a 4-0 advantage. It was the 34-year-old's third multi-goal game of the season.

"Tonight we got a couple of good bounces that got us off to a good lead," Arnott said. "And then (Dan Ellis) kept us in there."

Cullen and LaRose scored nearly six minutes apart in the third period to halve the deficit, but Carolina could not draw any closer.

"You put yourselves in that hole and it's hard to overcome," Cullen said. "We gave ourselves a chance, but it was too little, too late. We need to be better from the get go."

Weber capped the scoring with 7:18 remaining in the session after his blast inside the blue line beat Ward for his 10th goal and second two-goal performance in seven games. The 23-year-old tallied twice in a 7-6 loss to the Calgary Flames on November 6.

"That was something we really didn't want to do - (to) come out in the third and let them get one, let alone two," Weber said. "That was one of those situations where we knew that power play was going to be big for us and we needed a goal to shut their momentum down and get it back.

"We got a little nervous, but the next goal was a huge goal," Trotz said. "That was sort of game, set and match."