SPORTS

Predators beat Oilers in shootout in P.K. Subban's return

Adam Vingan

USA TODAY NETWORK — Tennessee

EDMONTON, Alberta — The Predators defeated the Oilers 3-2 in a shootout Friday. Edmonton tied the game late in the third period on the power play, but Nashville scored twice in the shootout on goals from defenseman Ryan Ellis and forward James Neal.

Predators defenseman P.K. Subban played Friday for the first time since Dec. 15, returning from a 16-game absence caused by an upper-body injury that was believed to be a herniated disc.

Subban's back: It was a relatively quiet night for Subban on Friday, receiving nearly 23 minutes of ice time and helping to tilt the ice in Nashville's favor when he was on the ice. Predators coach Peter Laviolette managed Subban's minutes, which was understandable after the defenseman went more than a month without playing. There wasn't too much apparent rust, and Subban should only get better as he continues to work himself back into pre-injury form.

Power outage: Nashville had a two-man advantage for more than a minute in the first period, failing to capitalize on the early opportunity. The Predators' power play, which later squandered a 4-on-3 advantage, has been sputtering for several weeks. The unit has scored eight goals on 71 chances since Dec. 1 after coming up empty Friday in five tries.

Minding the crease: What has been strong for the Predators lately is their goaltending. Entering Friday's game, their .956 save percentage was second-highest in the NHL since Jan. 1, a span of nine games. Pekka Rinne, making a rare appearance in the second half of a back-to-back set, started against the Oilers, making 30 saves in a strong effort. The second-period goal he allowed by turning the puck over wasn't ideal, tying the game 41 seconds after Predators forward Viktor Arvidsson scored.

Up next: The last stop of the Predators' five-game road trip brings them to Minnesota, where they will face the Western Conference-leading Wild on Sunday (7 p.m., Fox TN/102,5-FM).

Reach Adam Vingan at avingan@tennessean.com and on Twitter @AdamVingan.

Nashville Predators forward Viktor Arvidsson (38) battles with Edmonton Oilers defenseman Andrej Sekera (2) while goaltender Cam Talbot (33) makes a save during the first period on Jan. 20, 2017.