NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- It has been by most standards a sub-par season for Nashville Predators goalie Pekka Rinne, who entered Thursday night's game with a .902 save percentage that ranked 37th among 43 qualified goalies.

In fact, some Nashville fans and media have second-guessed coach Peter Laviolette's frequent usage, calling for backup Carter Hutton to get more opportunities.

With the high-scoring Boston Bruins in town, Rinne displayed why Laviolette continues to show faith in him, stopping 29 shots for the 39th shutout of his career in a 2-0 decision at sold-out Bridgestone Arena.

In upping his record to 21-18-8, Rinne bagged his third shutout of the season, but his first since a 7-0 verdict Nov. 14 against Winnipeg. He dropped four of his last five starts, allowing 17 goals in that span, and sat the last two games.

Rinne hinted the rest may have aided his performance in this outing.

"I've just tried to stay positive and work hard," he said. "I think that's the only way to go through a situation like that. I've gone through some tough situations and tough games, but this was a big game, and this feels good."

The Predators (27-21-10) scored both their goals in the first period and then played a tight defensive game, blocking 20 shots, including 10 in the third period. Nashville killed three penalties in the final 20 minutes, including a late power play which saw Boston (31-21-6) go 6-for-4 for almost the entire two minutes.

Defenseman Roman Josi recorded two of his six blocked shots during the Bruins' final power play as Boston managed just two shots on net.

"Huge, huge," Rinne said. "I think that's the way we've got to play down the stretch. Our guys sacrificed their bodies. Our penalty kill was awesome."

The Bruins' power play stands 180 degrees removed from the Predators' penalty kill. Boston is 1-for-36 with the man advantage over the last 10 games, including 0-for-19 through five games of its six-game road trip that ends Saturday night in Dallas.

Prior to this skid, the Bruins' power play was clicking along at better than 27 percent, which led the NHL. They are now fifth.

"I thought we had a few looks," left winger Brad Marchand said. "They were pressuring pretty hard, but we had a few chances. At the end of the day, we've got to get something in the goal."

In winning for just the third time at home since the calendar flipped to 2016, Nashville relied on its surging second line for both its goals.

Right winger Craig Smith potted his 13th marker at 2:51 of the first, pouncing on a loose puck in the slot and roofing a wrister over goalie Tuukka Rask. Boston's defense appeared to have a chance to clear the puck, but was slow to react.

Left winger Filip Forsberg continued his February frenzy with his sixth goal in six games, jumping on the rebound of a shot by defenseman Mattias Ekholm and scoring his 20th goal at 14:37. Center Mike Ribeiro assisted on both goals, giving him seven in as many games.

"They were our most noticeable line," Predators coach Peter Laviolette said of Smith-Ribeiro-Forsberg. "It didn't matter what line they were playing against. They were skating, getting into the offensive zone, getting a lot of pucks to net."

Marchand said the early two-goal hole cost his team the game.

"They came out a lot harder than we did," he said. "They scored two goals while we were sleeping."

Rask finished with 22 saves, but dropped to 21-17-5 for the season. Boston ate just its seventh regulation loss in 29 road games this season, falling five points behind first place Florida in the Atlantic Division.

As for Nashville, it climbed into a fourth place tie with Colorado in the Central Division, two points clear of Minnesota for a Western Conference playoff spot. Most importantly, it got the kind of performance from Rinne that it's gotten accustomed to for most of the last eight seasons.

"To have a shutout, it's good for his confidence," Ribeiro said of Rinne, "and I'm sure he's going to come back Saturday and try to pull the same thing."

NOTES: Boston RW Loui Eriksson's OT goal Tuesday night in Columbus made the Bruins the first NHL team this season with three 20-goal scorers. C Patrice Bergeron and LW Brad Marchand were the first two. ... Nashville LW Gabriel Bourque, out since Nov. 27 with an upper-body injury, has been assigned to Milwaukee of the AHL on a long-term injury loan. ... Boston scratched C Zac Rinaldo and C Max Talbot, as well as D Joe Morrow. Nashville scratches were D Petter Granberg and C Cody Bass.