• Preview
• Recap
• Bleachers

Rinne, Predators handle Avs

Jan 21, 2011 - 4:55 AM Denver, CO (Sports Network) - David Legwand and Cody Franson notched a goal and assist each in leading Nashville to a 5-1 win over Colorado at Pepsi Center.

Sergei Kostitsyn and Colin Wilson potted goals along with Matt Halischuk, who netted his second career goal for the Predators, who have won nine of their last 11 games.

Pekka Rinne carried a shutout into the final minutes of the game and wound up making 32 stops to record the victory.

"I thought we did a really good job defensively tonight," Nashville defenseman Shea Weber said. "Most of the shots were from the outside."

Matt Duchene spoiled the shutout bid with his 19th goal of the year for the Avalanche, who had a two-game win streak stopped.

Craig Anderson suffered the loss after yielding five goals on 28 shots.

Kostitsyn's wrist shot 3:15 into the contest opened the scoring for the visitors, who added a second tally near the close of the frame.

Patric Hornqvist slid a cross-ice pass from below the goal line to Franson, who beat Anderson with a wrister from the bottom of the right circle at 16:37.

Paul Stastny sent a shot under the pad of Rinne about 6 1/2 minutes into the second period that appeared to have crossed the goal line but was ruled no goal on the ice. A video review at league headquarters upheld the call on the ice to keep the visitors ahead by two.

"You've got to have total evidence," Stastny said. "It's hard to tell. I don't know if it would have turned the game around if it counted. They sure executed their game well. It seems like we were skating backwards all night."

After a scoreless middle session, the Preds added three goals in the third.

Shane O'Brien forced a turnover and fed behind the net to Halischuk, who scored a wraparound goal from the left side at 2:05.

Legwand came down the right side and beat Anderson with a wrist shot to the far side from the right faceoff circle 2:16 later.

Wilson finished off the scoring for Nashville, moving left to right through the slot and lifting a backhander over Anderson at the midway point of the period.

Duchene tucked in his own rebound with 3:37 left to play to finally get the hosts on the board.

Game Notes

Rinne is 4-3-0 in seven career meetings with the Avs...Halischuk's other NHL goal came for the New Jersey Devils against Washington on November 14, 2009. Hornqvist recorded a pair of assists and was a plus-three...Six other Preds got into the scoring column with a helper...Duchene has 99 career points while Stastny is stuck on 99 career goals...Anderson has only three wins in 13 matchups against Nashville...The Avalanche announced prior to Thursday's game that forward Tomas Fleischmann will miss the rest of the season due to pulmonary emboli. He tallied eight goals and 13 assists in 22 games after the Avalanche acquired him in a trade with Washington on November 30. He had four goals and six assists in 23 games with the Capitals.