BOSTON -- The Nashville Predators have a big home-and-home series with the Chicago Blackhawks coming Tuesday and Thursday nights.

But first, the Predators, who had not been playing well, took advantage of a tired Boston team to score a 3-2 victory over the Bruins on Monday night.

"Obviously, a huge game for us [Tuesday]," defenseman Roman Josi said after he scored two power-play goals and left winger Viktor Arvidsson tallied the winner with 4:56 left as the Predators won for just the third time in 10 games.

"I think we might have a same record right now or a same amount of points, and those division games are huge," Josi said.

The Predators rested goaltender Pekke Rinne in preparation for the Blackhawks, going with backup Carter Hutton – and the UMass-Lowell product did what he had to do facing just 17 shots and going to 3-1 on the season, in his second appearance since Nov. 1.

"I can't control when I'm going to play or what's going to happen," he said. "I know I'm playing with one of the best goalies in the world."

Arvidsson, playing in his fifth game back from the minor leagues, scored on a solo rush for the win, Nashville's first regulation victory at TD Garden since 2003.

The Bruins lost in regulation for the first time in nine games and saw their five-game series home winning streak over Nashville snapped.

Arvidsson, who scored for the second straight game, carried the puck down the left side and took advantage of defenseman Kevan Miller falling down before beating goaltender Jonas Gustavsson to give the Predators their first lead of the game despite a decided shot advantage.

"That was a great play," Josi said.

Josi tied the game at 1-1 and 2-2 -- the Predators (14-8-5) outshooting the tired Bruins, 33-17.

Josi was also involved in his first NHL fight, tangling with Boston left winger Brad Marchand.

"It was OK," he said. "It was a short fight. It was my first fight so I just tried to not get beat up."

The Bruins, 1-0-2 on a trip through western Canada, traveled home from Vancouver on Sunday and go right back on the road to visit the Montreal Canadiens on Wednesday night.

"It's one of those games you kind of have to grind out," Miller said. "I think we were doing a pretty good job and unfortunately it didn't work out."

The Bruins went a stretch of 34:09 from the first to the third periods between even-strength shots on goal -- a span filled with penalties but also with plenty of even time as well.

"Those games are always tough when you're coming back home from the west coast, but you've got to find a way and try to win the game," Gustavsson said. "We were close tonight. They scored a late goal there and otherwise we could have won the game."

Miller and right winger Loui Eriksson (power play) scored for the Bruins.

Gustavsson came up big earlier in the third period, stopping left winger Colin Wilson on a 2-on-1 and then, after the Bruins (14-9-3) killed their second penalty of the period, stopping right winger James Neal from directly in front.

The game was a chippy affair that produced 16 penalties good for 44 minutes.

Bruins center Patrice Bergeron notched an assist in the game, his 575th career point, tying him with the great Milt Schmidt for 11th place on the team's all-time scoring list.

"Did I [tie him]? I didn't know that," he said. "Obviously, Milt is someone that I respect a lot. He's a legend with the Bruins and a true gentleman."

NOTES: Bruins C Joonas Kemppainen left in the first period, skated two shifts in the second and didn't play the rest of the game. ... Bruins LW Brad Marchand, speared in the groin by Vancouver's Brandon Prust on Saturday night, resulting in Prust earning a $5,000 fine and calling it the "best money I ever spent," reacted Monday, saying, "I think part of my game is to get under people's skin, and I thought that he played with a lot more class in his game ... but clearly he doesn't have that integrity that I think a lot of people thought he had." ... Nashville D Shea Weber was named the NHL's Second Star after collecting six points, including his first career hat trick, in three games last week. ... Boston D Adam McQuaid was doubtful with a sore wrist but played, while D Dennis Seidenberg and RW Jimmy Hayes (no goals in 12 games) were healthy scratches for the second straight game. ... EPIX was at TD Garden to start filming for the upcoming Winter Classic series on the Bruins and Montreal Canadiens.