Nashville, Tenn. — After coming within one game of setting an NHL record for road wins to start the season, the Devils have dropped two consecutive games away from Newark.
Mike Santorelli and Martin Erat scored shootout goals, and Jason Arnott had two goals in regulation in the Predators’ 3-2 shootout victory over the Devils last night.
The loss came on the heels of New Jersey’s first road defeat Monday night at the hands of the Flyers. The Devils came within one win of tying Buffalo’s NHL record of 10 straight road wins to start a season.
Pekka Rinne stopped two of the Devils’ three shooters in the tiebreaker for his fourth consecutive victory and eighth in nine decisions. Devils goalie Martin Brodeur took the loss after winning his first three shootouts of the season.
Santorelli has converted on both of his shootout attempts this season, while Erat’s score was his first after being denied in his first two attempts.
Arnott opened the scoring at 4:44 of the opening period. The former Devils player beat Brian Rolston to a puck in the lower part of the right faceoff circle and directed a seemingly harmless shot on goal that slipped between Brodeur’s pads.
“I was more worried to tell [Rolston] that he was there than looking at the puck,” Brodeur said. “He surprised both of us by whacking it from there.”
Zach Parise tied it at 8:35 of the first. From the left point, defenseman Colin White sent a wrist shot toward the Nashville goal. Skating through the slot, Parise was able to deflect the puck by Rinne just inside the far post.
Arnott struck again at 1:09 of the third with a power-play goal off of a deflection of J.P. Dumont’s shot.