NASHVILLE www.officialsenators.com , Tenn. (AP) — The Nashville Predators know they might well end up seeing Dallas in the first round of the playoffs, and that made protecting home ice even more crucial after a loss here to the Stars only six days ago.Ryan Johansen scored 43 seconds into overtime and the Predators beat the Stars 3-2 on Thursday night for their second straight win and a little cushion in the Central Division.“They’ve been playing some very good hockey lately, and we’re not going to let that happen anymore, especially in our building,” Johansen said.Juuse Saros made 27 saves to improve to 14-6-1, with wins in six of his last seven starts.Viktor Arvidsson had a goal and an assist, and Craig Smith also scored for Nashville, which evened the season series at 2-2-0 and pushed the second-place Predators’ lead to nine points over the Stars in the division.Taylor Fedun and Miro Heiskanen scored for Dallas, which ended its season-high five-game winning streak.Saros made a pad save on Alexander Radulov with 1:38 left in regulation, and Nashville had a chance late with Johansen’s shot from the slot wide.Johansen made up for that with his winner with a wrister from the inside edge of the right circle set up by a pass from Arvidsson.“Great individual play there Ottawa Senators T-Shirts Authentic ,” Johansen said of his linemate. “We were kind of looping and swooping waiting for some space. Even when he got it down in the corner, it was bobbling and he had to make a good play and he put it right in my wheelhouse. It’s good to finish it off.”Nashville had a lot on the line, wanting revenge after a 3-1 loss to the Stars last weekend.“It’s good to get a win just because they’ve beaten us the last two times,” Nashville coach Peter Laviolette said of the Stars. “They’re playing well right now.”The Predators also debuted forwards Brian Boyle and Cody McLeod after a pair of trades Wednesday , and center Kyle Turris returned after missing the last 17 games because of an injury. The 6-foot-6 Boyle immediately joined the top power-play unit, planting himself in front of the net, and McLeod just missed on a scoring chance in the second.Khudobin came in having allowed only one goal in Dallas’ last two wins over Nashville, and he robbed Kevin Fiala on a 2-on-1 with a great glove save in the first period. But the Predators finally beat the goalie by literally scoring off him. Fiala’s shot deflected off Smith’s back over the net and bounced off Khudobin’s back and in at 17:48 of the period.“That was the easiest goal I’ve scored,” Smith said. “We’re doing a lot of the right things. I thought we made some good plays. You’re going to have to make enough good plays to get good looks. I thought we did that. We got rewarded with an easy one.”The Stars tied it up twice in the third to set up the final game of the season series Feb. 19 in Dallas. Heiskanen tied it up at 3:05, and Fedun tied it at quicklyafter Arvidsson’s goal put Nashville up 2-1. In between Ottawa Senators Hoodies Authentic , defenseman Roman Polak swept the puck away from the goal line after Colton Sissons‘ slap shot went off Khudobin’s stick.“We’re coming out and believing that we can win games, and we put ourselves in a really good situation tonight,” Stars coach Jim Montgomery said. “We got a point and we got five out of six points in this rink against a really good hockey team.”NOTES: Nashville improved to 24-3-1 when scoring first. … Buffalo Beauts goalie Shannon Szabados was at the game ahead of the NWHL All-Star Game here Sunday. … Tennessee athletic director Phillip Fulmer and football coach Jeremy Pruitt were at the game.UP NEXTStars: Visit Arizona on Saturday.Predators: Visit St. Louis on Saturday afternoon. PITTSBURGH (AP) — Curtis McElhinney’s been doing this a long time. More than a decade into his well-traveled NHL career, the Carolina Hurricanes goaltender understands how things tighten up after the All-Star break.His team scrambling for a spot in the postseason for the first time in nearly 10 years, McElhinney provided the Hurricanes with a jolt, turning aside 23 shots for his first shutout of the season in a 4-0 victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins on Tuesday.“He made some saves when he needed to tonight and was able to (let) us relax and not have to chase the game,” Carolina coach Rod Brind’Amour said.Brett Pesce and Jordan Martinook scored from way out to give the Hurricanes the lead and Michael Ferland and Andrei Svechnikov poured it on late as Carolina began a pivotal five-game trip by becoming just the second team all season to hold the Penguins scoreless. McElhinney picked up the ninth shutout of his 11-year career by stuffing Jared McCann and Jake Guentzel with sprawling saves in the first period and never letting up.“We’re in a critical spot where we need to just have to keep pushing every game,” McElhinney said.Matt Murray made 28 saves for the Penguins but lost for the third time in four starts since the All-Star break. Pittsburgh struggled to generate any consistent offensive pressure against McElhinney while playing without injured star Evgeni Malkin, who missed his third consecutive game with an upper-body injury.“Obviously he’s one of the best players in the world but since I’ve been here five years we’ve always battled through injuries and doesn’t matter who is injured, we still have enough guys in here who can step up Ottawa Senators Hats Authentic ,” Penguins forward Patric Hornqvist said. “We just have to find it.”The Penguins began Tuesday tied with Washington for second place in the Metropolitan Division while Carolina sat three points behind Columbus for the second wild-card spot in the jam-packed Eastern Conference with 30 games remaining. The Hurricanes have hung around thanks in large part to the steady play of the 35-year-old McElhinney, who improved to 12-6-1 while collecting his first shutout since March 17, 2018, while playing for Toronto.Pittsburgh tested McElhinney early. McCann, acquired in a trade with Florida last week, collected a loose puck in front and darted across the crease. McElhinney went to his belly in an effort to poke check, missed, and then raised his right leg, which stopped McCann’s shot when McCann couldn’t get the puck in the air. He made another big stop on Guentzel later in the period and fended off a shot by Sidney Crosby from the left circle with a right pad save.“You look at (McElhinney), he’s just so calm Custom Ottawa Senators Jerseys ,” Martinook said. “It almost looks easy. Everything looks easy. So for him to come in there and do that job is phenomenal, and gives us more confidence than we already had in him.”The Hurricanes didn’t let the reprieve go to waste. Martinook took a drop pass from Jacob Slavin and ripped a wrist shot from the top of the left circle that deflected off the end of Murray’s glove and into the net with 44 seconds left in the first.Pittsburgh had a chance to tie it when Hornqvist drew a penalty then found himself alone on the door step on the ensuing power play midway through the second period. His wrist shot ended up in McElhinney’s glove. Pesce doubled Carolina’s lead shortly after the penalty expired, letting a shot go from atop the left circle that found its way through traffic — including sprawled Pittsburgh defender Jack Johnson and by Murray 12:58 into the second.That was more than enough for McElhinney, who received plenty of help in front of him. The Penguins didn’t even record a shot over the first 10 minutes of the third period and Carolina’s lead was never in doubt. Ferland scored into an empty net with 1:31 left and Svechnikov added one for insurance with 42 seconds remaining after Murray returned to the ice.“We had some really good looks, everybody I thought,” Crosby said. “It was a tight game and we’ve got to find ways to win games like that.”NOTES: Both teams went 0 for 2 on the power play. … Referee Brian Pochmara left in the second period with a lower-body injury and did not return. … Pittsburgh D Justin Schultz skated with his teammates Wednesday morning and is close to a return after fracturing his left leg in Montreal on Oct. 13. … Pittsburgh C Matt Cullen played in his 1,487th career game, tying Hall of Famer Wayne Gretzky for 22nd on the all-time list. … Carolina improved 21-1-2 when leading after two periods. … Crosby played in his 914th game, one short of Hall of Famer Mario Lemieux’s franchise record.UP NEXTHurricanes: Travel to Buffalo on Thursday to face the Sabres.Penguins: Begin a three-game road trip on Thursday in Florida against the Panthers.__