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Predators top Canucks in double overtime to even series

May 1, 2011 - 6:34 AM Vancouver, BC (Sports Network) - Matt Halischuk scored at the 14:51 mark of the second overtime to give Nashville a 2-1 win and help the Predators even their Western Conference semifinal series with the Vancouver Canucks in Game 2.

In the second extra session, a neutral zone faceoff win saw Nashville work its way into the Vancouver end. Nick Spaling sent a pass from the left side to the right where Halischuk snapped a wrister over the glove of Roberto Luongo and under the crossbar for the win.

"We played Predator hockey," Nashville head coach Barry Trotz said. "We played with conviction. We played with discipline. Our work ethic was there. We had a lot more detail. I thought in regulation we had the majority of the play. We had the better chances, we just couldn't convert."

Ryan Suter scored the tying goal late in regulation and assisted on the game- winner while Pekka Rinne stopped 32 shots for the Predators, who are in the semifinals for the first time in club history.

Alexandre Burrows scored the lone goal and Luongo stopped 44 shots for the Canucks, who took a 1-0 win in Game 1 on Thursday.

"We had our chances, unfortunately, Pekka made some good saves and kept them in it," Luongo said.

Game 3 of this best-of-seven series is set for Tuesday in Nashville.

After a scoreless first period that saw Luongo stop 12 shots and Rinne make six saves, the Canucks took a 1-0 lead two minutes into the second period while skating shorthanded.

A turnover in the neutral zone saw Burrows and Ryan Kesler work a give-and-go with Burrows taking it down the right wing and chipping it past Rinne down low for his fourth goal of the playoffs.

Luongo stopped nine shots in the middle frame and was on course for his second straight shutout as Nashville still trailed by a goal late in the game.

However, Suter threw a shot on net that hit off a defender and went behind the left side of the net. Suter caught up to the puck and threw it at Luongo. The puck then hit off the left leg of the goaltender and went in with 1:07 left in regulation.

Vancouver had to kill off a too many men on the ice call in the first overtime, but it was Rinne who made the nicest save of the frame as he made a diving stick stop on a Kevin Bieksa one-timer into an open net from the low left side with 2:14 left in the frame.

Game Notes

These two teams split four games in the regular season and are meeting in the playoffs for the first time...Nashville is 3-2 on the road in the playoffs while Vancouver is 4-2 as the host...Vancouver fell to 1-2 in overtime in the playoffs while Nashville is 2-0...Vancouver had just one power play in the game and it failed to score on the opportunity...The Predators were 0-for-4 on the power play.