Filip Forsberg collected one goal and one assist and goaltender Juuse Saros posted his first shutout of the season as the visiting Nashville Predators earned a 3-0 victory over the Ottawa Senators on Monday.

Roman Josi and Jeremy Lauzon also scored for the Predators, who are on a four-game winning streak and a 5-0-1 run that’s pulled them into the playoff race. Saros, in his first game since his incredible 64-save performance against the Carolina Hurricanes last Thursday, made 38 saves — 16 of them in the third period — for his 19th career shutout.

Cam Talbot stopped 33 shots for the Senators, who have dropped two straight games and were blanked for the first time this season.

Josi and Lauzon scored 32 seconds apart late in the first period to give the visitors a two-goal edge.

Josi’s 150th career goal opened the scoring by taking advantage of Erik Brannstrom’s glaring turnover just outside the Ottawa zone. Forsberg caused the miscue, resulting in Nino Niederreiter leading a two-on-one rush that ended with Josi converting the crossing pass for his 10th of the season at the 14:29 mark. It’s the ninth season that Josi has scored at least 10 goals.

Lauzon doubled the lead on the next shift, a dominating one for the Predators, with his second goal of the season. With his teammates buzzing around the net, Tanner Jeannot attempted a wraparound and the puck ricocheted off Lauzon’s skate as well as Talbot before going into the cage.

Ottawa captain Brady Tkachuk thought he’d put his team on the board late in the first period and made it a 2-1 game, but Predators coach John Hynes correctly challenged the play for offside.

Forsberg extended the lead with his 16th of the season at 7:30 of the third period. The veteran wisely elected to shoot while on a two-on-one rush and netted his seventh goal in the past seven games.

Senators rising star Tim Stutzle saw his point-scoring streak snapped at seven games, in which he had collected eight goals and 12 points.

–Field Level Media