Saros makes 25 saves, the Predators eliminate the Rangers

Wilsby made it 2-0 at 11:59 of the third period. He got around Rangers forward Reilly Smith at the blue line, ran down the slot and beat Shesterkin with the wrist shot through traffic.

“Incredible first goal from Wilsby,” said Predators defenseman Luke Schenn. “I don’t even know how you can dream of a better goal. That was really special and it was really elite skating on the blue line there. He danced and picked the corner.”

It was the first time the Rangers had been shut out this season.

“We have to find ways to score goals,” New York forward Chris Kreider said. “They did a good job on the (penalty) kill. We caught a few glances. Obviously they blocked a lot and got into the lanes, but we knew we were getting in ahead of the pitch, so we had to take more shots from awkward angles. Stuff just gets thrown into the mud and jumps on the loose stuff. There were moments where we did a better job of playing north, playing fast and setting a zone time.”

Rangers defenseman Urho Vaakanainen made his team debut after being acquired in a trade with the Anaheim Ducks for former captain Jacob Trouba on Dec. 8, while forward Artemi Panarin missed his second straight game with an upper-body injury.

NOTES: Rangers forward Kaapo Kakko returned to the lineup after being a healthy scratch in a 3-2 loss to the St. Louis Blues on Sunday. Kakko finished the game with three shots on goal in 10:14 minutes of ice time. … Predators defenseman Roman Josi missed his third straight game with a lower-body injury.