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Predators edge Stars

Feb 20, 2012 - 5:10 AM Dallas, TX (Sports Network) - Colin Wilson scored the eventual game-winning goal late in the second period as the Nashville Predators edged the Dallas Stars, 3-2, at American Airlines Center.

Gabriel Bourque and Shea Weber also scored for the Predators, who had lost four of their last five coming in. Pekka Rinne made 22 saves and chipped in offensively with an assist on Wilson's goal.

"I think we played more assertive tonight," Weber said. "The last couple times we played them, we let them dictate the play. Tonight we were all skating and controlled the play with our speed."

Michael Ryder and Alex Goligoski lit the lamp, and Kari Lehtonen gave up three goals on 21 shots for the Stars, who have lost two straight and five of six.

Leading 2-1, Nashville extended its lead to 3-1 with 3:55 to play in the second period. Jordan Tootoo ripped a wrist shot on net from the right circle that was kicked out by Lehtonen. Wilson chased down the loose puck in the left corner, outworked two Stars defenders and got to the slot before backhanding it past Lehtonen.

Goligoski pulled the Stars within one with 4:49 to play in the game when he beat Rinne with a wrist shot from a sharp angle that the netminder never saw.

Hall Gill was called for tripping with 2:05 to play, giving the Stars their only power-play chance of the game. Dallas elected to pull Lehtonen with a minute left to gain a 6-on-4 advantage. The Stars tested Rinne, but were unable to find a tying goal.

Dallas struck first just 6:49 into the opening period when Mike Ribeiro brought the puck around behind the net and pushed it over to Ryder, who buried it in past Rinne from in close to give the Stars the early lead.

Nashville answered at 15:39 of the first stanza to tie the game when Matt Halischuk corralled a puck off the left wing boards and threw it on net. The puck hit Bourque in front and wound up in the net for the goal.

Skating with the man advantage, The Preds worked hard on the power play until the final buzzer of the period and were rewarded for their effort when Ryan Suter fired a slap shot from the right point that was stopped by Lehtonen, but Weber pounced on the rebound and ripped it home with just one-tenth of a second remaining on the clock to give the Predators the lead.

"We had our chances," Goligoski said. "But I think the most disappointing thing is that we gave them most of their chances. I think one goal they really beat us, but the others were just mental mistakes."

Game Notes

Ryder extended his point streak to six consecutive games...Dallas fell to 15-7-4 in one-goal games this season and 16-4-0 when a defenseman scores a goal...Predators center Mike Fisher missed the game due to flu-like symptoms...The Stars are 0-9-2 in the second leg of back-to-backs this season...Nashville finished 1-for-2 with the man advantage.