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Predators score four in third to beat Wild

Feb 1, 2012 - 4:59 AM St. Paul, MN (Sports Network) - Mike Fisher had two third-period goals as the Nashville Predators scored four straight times in the final frame to take a 5-4 decision over the Minnesota Wild at Xcel Energy Center.

Patric Hornqvist and Brandon Yip also lit the lamp in the third, while Matt Halischuk added a tally in the second for the Predators, who stretched their win streak to five straight games. Pekka Rinne stopped 21 shots in the win.

Dany Heatley had two goals and an assist, while Cal Clutterbuck and Kyle Brodziak each netted a goal for Minnesota. Josh Harding stopped 25-of-30 shots as the Wild fell to 4-12-4 over their last 20 games.

Minnesota led 3-1 entering the third period and Brodziak stretched their advantage to three goals just 16 seconds into the final frame by cleaning up a dribbling puck in the crease after a Nick Johnson backhander snuck through the legs of Rinne.

But Yip started the improbable comeback with his first goal of the season at the 9:22 mark when he jammed the puck past the goal line in a scrum in front of the net. It was initially not called a goal, but a review revealed the puck crossed the line before the whistle had been blown.

Hornqvist closed the gap to one after another scrum in front of Harding ended in the disc sneaking over the line with 3:21 left in regulation and 21 seconds later, Fisher finalized a tic-tac-toe play with a wrister into the open net to knot the game at four.

Then, with 20.8 seconds left in regulation, Fisher grabbed an errant pass near the boards by the right circle and flicked a shot towards the net that slipped through Harding's pads for the game-winner.

"It was an awful goal, probably one of the worst I've given up in my life," said Harding. "No excuses. That one's on me."

Heatley netted both of his goals in the first period on a one-timer from the slot and by batting the puck out of midair in front of the net during a power play to send the Wild into the second with a 2-0 lead.

Clutterbuck put the Wild up 3-0 just 1:29 into the middle stanza, but Halischuk's redirection of a Kevin Klein slap-shot from the point made it a 3-1 game after two.

"They had a quick start," Rinne said about Minnesota. "I thought that we weren't really ready in the beginning of the game, but as the game went along we picked it up and got it going."

Game Notes

It was the 60th career multi-goal game for Heatley...Rinne has not lost since January 5 and improved his record to 29-11-4...Minnesota went 1-for-1 on the power play while Nashville failed to score on its lone man advantage.