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Hartnell caps flurry with two quick goals as Preds rebound

Feb 20, 2007 - 4:09 AM NASHVILLE, Tennessee (Ticker) -- The Nashville Predators needed a little boost. Scott Hartnell provided it in quick fashion.

Hartnell capped an eight-minute flurry with a pair of goals as the Predators regained first place and avoided their first three-game losing streak since early December with a 4-1 victory over the sliding Phoenix Coyotes.

Tomas Vokun was within two minutes of his fourth shutout in his last 12 games for the Predators, who had lost six of their previous nine games to fall one point behind Detroit in the Central Division.

"The main thing is we got the win," Hartnell said. "It's always nice to put the puck in the net. We got two points, and we've been on a little bit of a skid as of late. It's nice to have a good game, have everyone going and win."

After Jean-Pierre Dumont opened the scoring on a penalty shot with 71 seconds left in the first period, Nashville delivered a knockout punch in the first six minutes of the middle session with three tallies, including two within a 23-second stretch by Scott Hartnell.

Hartnell's first goal came 5:34 into the period. The right winger took a pass from the right boards near the blue line from Kimmo Timonen, carried the puck in front and slid a backhander over goaltender Curtis Joseph's left leg pad.

"I was on a change. (Paul) Kariya came off and Timonen had his head up, just got some speed, and put it right on my tape," Hartnell said. "I knew a guy was coming down hard on me on my right side. I was able to move the puck over quick and get it in there. It's a big relief, I hadn't scored in a while and it was nice to get that first one."

Hartnell scored on a breakaway less than 30 seconds later, when he carried the puck down the right side and beat Joseph stick side with a wrist shot from the right circle.

"(David) Legwand just kind of laid it out there and I skated into it. I was able to get the shot there on the blocker side. That's where J.P. scored, so I kind of knew that could have been one of his weaknesses, and I was able to sneak it in."

The lapse by Phoenix cost it a sixth straight loss and came on the heels of a 4-1 loss to the Red Wings on Saturday in which the Coyotes yielded three power-play goals and were 0-for-5 with the man advantage.

"First of all, we knew we were in for a battle tonight because they had lost two in a row," Phoenix coach Wayne Gretzky said. "We had a costly turnover late in the first period that resulted in a penalty shot that gave them a jump start. Then we had a bad three minutes and all of a sudden, it's 4-0.

"Right now, we have too many weak links and too many guys not paying the price. They (Nashville) are the opposite. They have everybody paying the price, and that's why they are successful right now."

The 30-year-old Vokun, who already has two shutouts this month and three since January 12, had this shutout bid snapped when Oleg Saprykin scored with 2:46 remaining in the contest.

"Tomas was really good," Nashville coach Barry Trotz said. "He's moving really well, and never allowed them to get back in the game."

Peter Forsberg, a two-time Stanley Cup champion with Colorado who debuted for the Predators on Saturday against Minnesota after being acquired from Philadelphia, did not record a point.

"I thought (linemates Martin Erat and Kariya) we found each other a little better today. We just have to make sure we bury our chances and keep going," Forsberg said. "We just need to practice and get better and better."

"The Forsberg line could have had three or four goals easily," Trotz said. "They were all over the offensive zone. They didn't get anything, but they were dangerous, and that is all you can ask."