Final
Predators hold off Avalanche to end home skid
Dec 5, 2008 - 6:07 AM By Jim Diamond PA SportsTicker Contributing WriterNASHVILLE, Tennessee (Ticker) -- While establishing a franchise record for games played, David Legwand on Thursday scored the game-winning goal as the Nashville Predators edged the Colorado Avalanche, 3-2.
The franchise's first-ever draft pick in 1998, Legwand snapped a 2-2 tie with less than a second remaining in the first period with a wrist shot from the left side that sneaked past goaltender Peter Budaj on the short side.
Vernon Fiddler and defenseman Shea Weber also scored for Nashville, which had not won at the Sommet Center since November 1.
Ryan Smyth and Wojtek Wolski netted goals for the Avalanche, who failed to score after Legwand's go-ahead tally with three-tenths of a second left in the first.
"I didn't look up at the board after I scored, so I didn't realize how close to the end of the period it was until I got back to the bench," Legwand said. "We pressed early and put a lot of pucks at the net, and that is always a positive when you can do that and get three goals."
"It was kind of a back-door goal," Budaj said. "It was disappointing."
Even before his heroics, Legwand set a Predators record just by skating onto the ice. The second overall pick in the 1998 draft passed Kimmo Timonen for most career games with Nashville at 574.
"Legwand was really skating strong tonight," Nashville coach Barry Trotz said. "When he skates like that, he is a very dangerous player because he backs people off and gets chances."
Making his second consecutive start and third in four games, Pekka Rinne made 19 saves to improve to 5-0-0 on the season.
"When you play a few games in a row, I am better able to get used to the NHL speed," Rinne said. "Having a few wins, obviously, means that I will probably get in some more games."
Coming off of his first career shutout at Buffalo on Monday, Rinne was beaten by Smyth at 9:03 of the first with the Avalanche on a two-man advantage. Wolski scored a shorthander with 3:38 left in the period to forge the 2-2 tie.
"We cannot play catch-up hockey," said Smyth, who was disappointed his team yielded the late goal by Legwand. "With 0.3 seconds on the clock, we have to get to the end of the period, and we did not."
Weber, who entered the game as the league's leading goal-scorer among defensemen, added to his total with his 11th of the season while on a power play with 7:24 left in the first. His slap shot from above the left faceoff circle deflected off Colorado blue-liner Brett Clark and past Budaj.
The recently acquired Wade Belak recorded an assist on the goal by Fiddler, which opened the scoring at 5:15. The assist was Belak's first since January 18, 2007 while with Toronto, a span of 84 games.
"We did not start very well, but I thought we found a way to stay in the game," Colorado coach Tony Granato said. "The last 40 minutes, we played hard and did everything we could to get back into it."
- NHL
FINAL 1ST 2ND 3RD TOTAL
--- --- --- -----
COLORADO 2 0 0 2
NASHVILLE 3 0 0 3 FINAL
GOAL SCORING:
1ST PRD: NAS - VERNON FIDDLER 3 (WADE BELAK, VILLE KOISTINEN) 5:15
COL - (PP) RYAN SMYTH 8 (RUSLAN SALEI, MILAN HEJDUK) 9:03
NAS - (PP) SHEA WEBER 11 (VILLE KOISTINEN, JEAN-PIERRE
DUMONT) 12:36
COL - (SH) WOJTEK WOLSKI 5 (COD
Dec 4 10:21 PM - NHL
END OF THE 2ND 1ST 2ND 3RD TOTAL
--- --- --- -----
COLORADO 2 0 2
NASHVILLE 3 0 3 END OF THE 2ND
GOAL SCORING:
1ST PRD: NAS - VERNON FIDDLER 3 (WADE BELAK, VILLE KOISTINEN) 5:15
COL - (PP) RYAN SMYTH 8 (RUSLAN SALEI, MILAN HEJDUK) 9:03
NAS - (PP) SHEA WEBER 11 (VILLE KOISTINEN, JEAN-PIERRE
DUMONT) 12:36
COL - (SH) WOJTEK
Dec 4 9:31 PM - NHL
END OF THE 1ST 1ST 2ND 3RD TOTAL
--- --- --- -----
COLORADO 2 2
NASHVILLE 3 3 END OF THE 1ST
GOAL SCORING:
1ST PRD: NAS - VERNON FIDDLER 3 (WADE BELAK, VILLE KOISTINEN) 5:15
COL - (PP) RUSLAN SALEI 1 (MILAN HEJDUK, PAUL STASTNY) 9:03
NAS - (PP) SHEA WEBER 11 (VILLE KOISTINEN, JEAN-PIERRE
DUMONT) 12:36
COL - (SH) WOJTE
Dec 4 8:46 PM - NHL
COLORADO 2
NASHVILLE 3
1ST PRD: NAS - DAVID LEGWAND 5 (DAN HAMHUIS, JERRED SMITHSON) 19:57
Avalanche 2, Predators 3 1st - 0:03Dec 4 8:45 PM - NHL
COLORADO 2
NASHVILLE 2
1ST PRD: COL - (SH) WOJTEK WOLSKI 5 (CODY MCCORMICK) 16:22
Avalanche 2, Predators 2 1st - 3:38Dec 4 8:39 PM - NHL
COLORADO 1
NASHVILLE 2
1ST PRD: NAS - (PP) SHEA WEBER 11 (VILLE KOISTINEN, JEAN-PIERRE
DUMONT) 12:36
Avalanche 1, Predators 2 1st - 7:24Dec 4 8:32 PM - NHL
COLORADO 1
NASHVILLE 1
1ST PRD: COL - (PP) RUSLAN SALEI 1 (MILAN HEJDUK, PAUL STASTNY) 9:03
(TWO-MAN ADVANTAGE)
Avalanche 1, Predators 1 1st - 10:57Dec 4 8:25 PM - NHL
COLORADO 0
NASHVILLE 1
1ST PRD: NAS - VERNON FIDDLER 3 (WADE BELAK, VILLE KOISTINEN) 5:15
Avalanche 0, Predators 1 1st - 14:45Dec 4 8:17 PM
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