Juuse Saros remained unbeaten this month after making 21 saves for the Nashville Predators in a 3-1 win against the visiting Washington Capitals on Saturday night.
Saros came in 5-0-0 in December with a 1.57 goals-against average and .953 save percentage.
Colton Sissons, Philip Tomasino and Yakov Trenin scored for the Predators, who have won four in a row and seven of eight.
T.J. Oshie scored a power-play goal and Charlie Lindgren made 20 saves for the Capitals, who have lost five of seven.
The Predators went on the game’s first power play after Trevor van Riemsdyk was called for a delay of game for sending the puck over the glass at 4:15 of the first period.
Nashville won the puck back on the forecheck after dumping it in the Washington zone and Filip Forsberg got the puck to Roman Josi on the right point. He took a few strides to his left before shooting the puck into traffic. Sissons lifted his blade to about waist level and tipped the shot past Lindgren and into the net for his 10th goal of the season and a 1-0 lead at 5:03.
Forsberg and Josi each earned their 20th assist of the season.
The Capitals drew their first penalty at 3:23 of the second period and Oshie drew another penalty 44 seconds later to give them a 5-on-3. Washington scored on the ensuing two-man advantage when Oshie got to a loose puck in the crease and pushed it across the goal line to tie it 1-1 at 5:16.
The Capitals continued to pressure the Predators, but Tomasino got loose on a breakaway and scored to move Nashville back ahead 2-1 at 13:26 of the second period.
Trenin tapped in another loose puck in the crease five seconds after a power play ended to extend the lead to 3-1 at 3:41 of the third period.
Capitals forward Alex Ovechkin did not score to extend the longest goalless drought of his 19-year NHL career to 12 games.
–Field Level Media
