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Weber lifts Preds past Stars in OT

Jan 9, 2015 - 6:14 AM Nashville, TN (SportsNetwork.com) - Shea Weber had two goals, including the game winner 17 seconds into overtime, as the Nashville Predators topped the Dallas Stars 3-2 on Thursday.

After Nashville forced a turnover in the offensive zone, Weber's shot from the right circle bounced off the shoulder of Kari Lehtonen and fluttered over the goal line to end the game.

Mikka Salomaki scored in his first NHL game, Roman Josi supplied two assists and Pekka Rinne made 18 saves for the Predators, who moved into a tie with the idle Anaheim Ducks for league's top spot with 58 points.

"We played hard for 60 minutes," Nashville head coach Peter Laviolette said. "There was good and bad, but we kept swinging."

Jason Spezza and Trevor Daley for the Stars, who have lost three straight games. Lehtonen allowed all three goals on 21 shots in defeat.

"We're giving up points in overtime and that's obviously hurting us in the standings," said Spezza.

Weber started the scoring after Mike Ribeiro slipped a pass back to him after entering the offensive zone. Weber hammered a rising slap shot from the right point with 4:33 left in the opening stanza.

Spezza knotted the score at 1-1 after he beat Rinne with short-side wrister from the right circle at 12:51 of the second.

Salomaki entered the Dallas zone on a breakaway, but had his initial shot turned aside by Lehtonen. The young forward, who was recalled from Milwaukee (AHL) prior to the game, shuffled the rebound past the blocker of the Stars netminder for a 2-1 lead with 3:13 to play in the middle frame.

"It's been my dream since I was a young kid," Salomaki said of playing in the NHL. "We just played smart hockey and didn't turn pucks over."

Jamie Benn skated across the slot and sent the puck to Daley down low, where the offensive-minded defender was quicker than Rinne's glove, making it a 2-2 game with 1.2 seconds left before the final intermission.

With under four minutes to play, Lehtonen stopped Weber's blast from the right point, but was pushed out of his crease after Craig Smith was cross-checked into him. Filip Forsberg tracked down the puck and sent a wrister into the vacant net. It was ruled to be a goal on the ice, but was waved off after video replay due to the contact.

Game Notes

Josi tallied his 100th career point with an assist on Weber's goal ... Stars forward Antoine Roussel had "RIP Charlie Hedbo" written on his stick Thursday in tribute to the lives lost in the terrorist attack on the French magazine ... Daley's nine goals are two behind San Jose's Brent Burns for the most by a defenseman this season ... Nashville placed forwards James Neal and Eric Nystrom on injured reserve prior to the game ... The Predators have won all three games against the Stars this season ... The series resumes on Apr. 4 at Bridgestone Arena.