WINNIPEG, Manitoba (AP) Roman Josi had five assists, Craig Smith scored twice and Ryan Hartman redirected in the winning goal during his Nashville debut, sending the streaking Predators to a 6-5 victory over the Winnipeg Jets in their Central Division showdown Tuesday night.
Hartman, acquired in a trade with Chicago at Monday's deadline, gave the Predators their first lead with a minute left when he deflected a shot by Josi.
Kyle Turris, Mattias Ekholm and Ryan Johansen also scored as Nashville won its fifth straight, padding its division lead to four points over the Jets. Josi extended his point streak to five games (one goal, 11 assists).
Mark Scheifele scored twice and new Winnipeg forward Paul Stastny had a goal and an assist. Matt Hendricks and Nikolaj Ehlers also scored. Ehlers added one assist and Patrik Laine had two.
Pekka Rinne stopped 34 shots for the Predators, who were starting a four-game road trip.
Connor Hellebuyck made 26 saves for Winnipeg.
After a scoreless first period, the teams combined for seven goals in the second, with Winnipeg taking a 4-3 lead into the third.
Stastny was acquired in a trade Monday with St. Louis, while Jets defenseman Joe Morrow came over from Montreal. Morrow was on the ice after veteran Toby Enstrom was scratched.
The second period featured five goals in just under five minutes.
Hendricks started it off at 2:45 when his shot from the slot went past Rinne.
Smith got the equalizer six minutes later, but then Scheifele triggered the flurry of goals on both sides of the ice.
The top-line center scored his 20th of the season off a slick pass from Jack Roslovic at 12:41. Smith got his second when Stastny sent him a pass from the side of the net out front less than two minutes later for a 3-1 lead.
Blake Wheeler assisted on the second goal, extending his point streak to nine games with four goals and 11 assists during that stretch.
Turris replied at 15:07 to cut the lead 3-2, and Ekholm scored with one second left on a power play after the Jets had unsuccessfully challenged Turris' goal for offside. Winnipeg was dinged with a delay-of-game penalty for the failed challenge.
Ehlers finished the period's scoring with his 25th of the season at 17:39.
The third period began with Stastny's goal 10 minutes in for a 5-3 lead, but Smith scored 55 seconds later and Johansen tied it at 13:56.
Laine picked up assists on Stastny's and Ehlers' goals, pushing his point streak to six games.
UP NEXT
Predators: Play in Edmonton on Thursday.
Jets: Host the Detroit Red Wings on Friday.
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