NASHVILLE (Interstat) — Juuse Saros made 29 saves and the Nashville Predators used timely scoring and a strong defensive effort to beat the Carolina Hurricanes 4-1 on Tuesday at Bridgestone Arena. Saros, Nashville’s top star, stopped 29 of 30 shots after entering the game having lost his previous three starts. The Predators improved to 6-9, while the Hurricanes fell to 12-5 in front of an announced attendance of 17,159. Nashville won after beating Tampa Bay in a shootout in its previous game, while Carolina had entered with a four-game winning streak.

Nashville opened the scoring at 12:32 of the first period when Nick Perbix took a pass from Filip Forsberg and fired a wrist shot past Carolina goaltender Pyotr Kochetkov. Perbix, a 6-foot-4, 206-pound defenseman, finished with a goal, one shot and one hit. The goal came after Carolina applied early pressure, including shots from Sebastian Aho, Andrei Svechnikov, Logan Stankoven and Jackson Blake. Saros made saves on Stankoven and Aho, and Carolina’s Svechnikov sent shots wide. Jack Drury won several faceoffs for Nashville, while Adam Wilsby and Brady Skjei delivered hits. Carolina had a chance to answer later in the period, but Alexander Kerfoot was sent off for hooking against Eric Robinson, and the Hurricanes could not convert. Nashville carried a 1-0 lead into the second period despite Carolina’s edge in shot attempts and zone time. Kochetkov also made saves on Reid Schaefer and Alexander Kerfoot to keep the deficit at one.

The Predators doubled their lead at 6:29 of the second period when Roman Josi scored on a wrist shot, with Forsberg collecting his second assist. Josi, a 6-foot-1, 201-pound defenseman, was active throughout with a goal, an assist, three shots and three hits. Carolina finally broke through late in the second period when Jackson Blake scored on a backhand, with assists from Shayne Gostisbehere and Logan Stankoven. Blake, a 5-foot-11, 178-pound forward, finished with a goal, one shot and one hit. Stankoven, listed at 5-foot-8 and 165 pounds, had an assist, three shots and three hits. The Hurricanes pressed for an equalizer before the second intermission, but Saros denied Aho and Jordan Martinook, and Nashville took a 2-1 advantage into the final period. Penalties in the second period included Steven Stamkos of Nashville for tripping against K’Andre Miller and Kochetkov of Carolina for tripping against Reid Schaefer, with Jesperi Kotkaniemi serving the minor. Nashville’s penalty kill held Carolina off the board, and Saros finished the period with a flurry of saves.

Nashville regained a two-goal cushion at 15:40 of the third period when Adam Edstrom tipped in a shot from Josi, with Ross Colton also assisting. Edstrom, a 6-foot-7, 241-pound forward, had a goal, two shots and one hit. The goal came shortly after Edstrom delivered a series of hits on Juuso Valimaki, helping shift momentum back to the Predators. Carolina pulled Kochetkov late for an extra attacker, but Nashville sealed the result when Ross Colton scored on a wrist shot with assists from Brady Skjei and Jack Drury. Colton, a 6-foot, 194-pound forward, finished with a goal and an assist to go with one shot. Drury added an assist and a hit, while Skjei recorded an assist and two hits. Sean Walker of Carolina was called for interference against Forsberg in the third period, but the Hurricanes could not capitalize. Saros made late saves on Nikolaj Ehlers, Jalen Chatfield and Sean Walker to preserve the win. Nashville’s defense blocked several Carolina attempts in the final minutes.

Juuse Saros led Nashville with 29 saves on 30 shots. Roman Josi had a goal, an assist, three shots and three hits. Ross Colton had a goal, an assist and one shot. Adam Edstrom had a goal, two shots and one hit. Jack Drury had an assist and a hit. Filip Forsberg had two assists and two hits. Nick Perbix had a goal, one shot and one hit. Brady Skjei had an assist and two hits. Jackson Blake of Carolina had a goal, one shot and one hit. Logan Stankoven of Carolina had an assist, three shots and three hits.

Carolina had entered after a 7-0 home win over Winnipeg and had won four straight overall. Before that, the Hurricanes beat Columbus, Boston and St. Louis. Nashville had beaten Tampa Bay in a shootout in its previous game and improved to 6-9 with the victory. The Predators also had recent wins over Colorado and St. Louis. Nashville will next visit Colorado, while the Hurricanes will next visit the New York Islanders. Carolina will then host Chicago, and Nashville will host St. Louis. Both teams will continue a busy stretch of games.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of Carolina 4, Nashville 2. Interstat’s ELO system had projected Carolina with a 74.8 percent probability to win. Carolina had been installed as a pregame favorite with a spread of -1.5. The total score of 5 went over the over/under line of 6.5.