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Legwand scores in OT as Preds down Avs

Jan 13, 2012 - 9:08 AM Nashville, TN (Sports Network) - David Legwand netted a pair of goals, including the game-winner 34 seconds into overtime, leading the Nashville Predators to a 3-2 win over the Colorado Avalanche.

Legwand's winner came when he picked up a loose puck in the neutral zone, raced into the offensive zone on the right wing before cutting to the slot. The veteran forward then wristed one on net that was stopped by Jean-Sebastien Giguere, but Legwand was there to stuff home the rebound for the win.

Sergei Kostitsyn netted the other goal, and Pekka Rinne stopped 27-of-29 shots for the Predators, who extended their winning streak to three games.

Ryan O'Reilly finished with a goal and an assist and Gabriel Landeskog also found the back of the net for the Avs, who have lost three straight. Giguere was tagged for all three goals on 35 shots in defeat.

"They took it to us right off the bat," said O'Reilly. "It's our decision out there how we play and it wasn't our best. I don't think we were committed right away."

Trailing 2-0 after the first period, Nashville ripped off three unanswered goals to steal the victory.

The Preds got on the board at 11:02 of the second stanza when Matt Halischuk picked up the puck behind the net and went for the wrap-around attempt to the right of the net which was stopped by Giguere, but he left a huge rebound and Legwand was there to poke it home and cut the deficit to 2-1.

The tying goal came at 8:48 of the final period when Kostitsyn raced up the left wing, cut to the middle and fired a wrister through the legs of Avs defenseman Ryan Wilson and over the shoulder of Giguere.

"We got a big win in Denver, then got a nice win coming back here," Rinne said. "So we were able to create a bit of separation between us and them."

Colorado opened the scoring at the 6:09 mark of the first period when Rinne came out of his net to play the puck, but sent it right up the middle to a waiting O'Reilly, who fired it back into the net to give his team a 1-0 lead.

The Avs extended their lead to 2-0 at 12:17 of the first stanza when Landeskog chased down a rolling puck in the offensive zone and fired a slap shot through the legs of Rinne from the left circle.

Game Notes

Nashville is 8-5-0 against the Northwest Division this season, including 4-1-0 on home ice...The Preds are 24-20-6 all-time against the Avalanche...Avalanche forward Cody McLeod was given a goalie interference penalty in the first period which put him over 100 penalty minutes this season, also making him the first Avalanche player to record at least 100 PIM in five consecutive seasons...Defensemen Ryan Suter and Shea Weber and forward Craig Smith will represent the Predators in the All-Star Game, while Landeskog will represent Colorado.