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National Hockey League
Florida 2, Nashville 1
When: 8:00 PM ET, Thursday, December 3, 2015
Where: Bridgestone Arena, Nashville, Tennessee
Referees: Chris Lee, Kevin Pollock
Linesmen: David Brisebois, Brandon Gawryletz
Attendance: 15405

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- For a moment, Florida Panthers coach Gerard Gallant feared the Nashville Predators tied his team in the last minute Thursday night.

"Then I saw it on the (scoreboard) and I knew it wasn't in," he said.

Indeed, replay officials in Toronto confirmed the referees' call that Nashville center Cody Hodgson's deflection struck the crossbar and not the net's backside, enabling Florida to secure a 2-1 win that extended its winning streak to a season-high four games.

Pressing the attack with a sixth skater, Nashville (13-8-4) started celebrating when it appeared Hodgson's tip of a centering pass by defenseman Seth Jones beat goalie Roberto Luongo. However, referees Chris Lee and Kevin Pollock didn't count the goal.

After a brief review, replay officials agreed with Lee and Pollock that the puck never got to the net. The Panthers melted away the final 31 seconds for their first regulation win in Nashville since 1999 and their first victory of any kind at Bridgestone Arena since the 2003-04 season.

It was a streak-snapping kind of week for Florida, which on Tuesday night captured its first victory in St. Louis in six years.

"We've never really heard of many of them," Panthers center Quinton Howden said of his team's so-called jinx buildings. "We're just playing our game, keeping it simple and getting pucks out of our zone."

Howden capitalized on one of Florida's few scoring chances, giving the visitors a 1-0 lead at 14:59 of the first period thanks to a weird bounce. Panthers center Connor Brickley's pass hit a stanchion and veered behind Predators defenseman Mattias Ekholm, and Howden jumped on the loose puck, ripping a 29-foot wrister by goalie Pekka Rinne.

"I got a fortunate bounce, and the D-man turned the wrong way," Howden said. "To get an early lead like that was big."

The Panthers' eventual game-winner came off their only power play. With defenseman Shea Weber in the box for delay of game, left winger Jonathan Huberdeau one-timed a feed from center Aleksander Barkov at 11:24 of the second period for just his second goal.

"I never saw it go in, and I don't know where it went," Huberdeau said, "but it felt good to get a puck in the net. That's a big two points for us."

From there, Florida (12-9-4) relied on Luongo (10-8-3), who produced 32 saves. All but five of those came in the last 40 minutes as the Predators (13-8-4) attacked continually, hemming the Panthers in their zone for some fairly long stretches.

Nashville's only tally came off a deflection of right winger Craig Smith's slapper by defenseman Roman Josi at 17:46 of the second period. Most of Luongo's saves were fairly routine as his teammates kept his sightlines clear.

"We're doing a good job as far as our systems go," Luongo said. "We haven't been giving up many breakaways or two-on-ones. Our guys have been working hard -- blocking shots and stuff like that -- and that's what it takes to win hockey games."

Nashville dropped to 2-5-1 in its past eight games, although it wasn't for lack of effort. The Predators tried 73 shots to Florida's 26, although the Panthers blocked 21 shots. But it was the resumption of a drought that has seen Nashville manage only 12 goals in its dry spell.

"Every team has a dry patch where you might win two or three games in a 10-game segment and you are naturally disappointed," Predators coach Peter Laviolette said. "We've got some things to work on, but we've had some games in which we've played well and haven't won."

Rinne (11-6-4) finished with 14 saves, including a sprawling stop across the crease in the first period that denied right winger Jaromir Jagr his 731rd career goal. With his next goal, Jagr will tie Marcel Dionne for fourth on the all-time list.

NOTES: Florida C Nick Bjugstad missed his second game with an upper-body injury. ... Nashville LW Colin Wilson returned after missing Tuesday night's game with a lower-body injury as the team placed C Mike Fisher on injured reserve with a lower-body injury. ... D Alex Petrovic and LW Shawn Thornton were the Panthers' scratches. ... D Anthony Bitetto was the Predators' only healthy scratch.
Top Game Performances
 
Florida   Nashville
Quinton Howden 1 Points Roman Josi 1
Quinton Howden 1 Goals Roman Josi 1
Aleksander Barkov 1 Assists Craig Smith 1
Jonathan Huberdeau 1 Power Play Goals N/A
N/A Short Handed Goals N/A
Roberto Luongo .970 Save Percentage Pekka Rinne .875
Roberto Luongo 32 Saves Pekka Rinne 14
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Shots Goals Power Play Penalty Kill Penalty Mins Face Offs Won
Florida 16 2 1-1 2-2 6 24
Nashville 33 1 0-2 0-1 4 35
Upcoming Games
  • Nashville will play their next game on the road against Detroit. The Predators have a W/L % of .385 after a win and .667 after a loss.
  • Florida will play their next game on the road against Columbus. The Panthers have a W/L % of .545 after a win and .429 after a loss.