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Radulov tallies twice as Predators handle Oilers

Jan 4, 2008 - 6:55 AM By Jim Diamond PA SportsTicker Contributing Writer

NASHVILLE, Tennessee (Ticker) -- Alexander Radulov did his best to help the Nashville Predators continue their dominance over the Edmonton Oilers.

Radulov scored two goals and J.P. Dumont and captain Jason Arnott each added a tally and an assist to lead the Predators to a 5-2 victory over the Oilers on Thursday night.

Jerred Smithson also scored and Dan Ellis made 26 saves for Nashville, which extended its winning streak over Edmonton to six games.

Zack Stortini and captain Ethan Moreau tallied for the Oilers, who have lost seven of their last eight.

"We have a lot of young guys on the back end, and a lot of guys that probably weren't quite prepared for the speed that they had early," Moreau said. "We didn't cope with it well. We got our game going a little bit in the second and third (periods), but we didn't handle the pressure well."

Dumont opened the scoring at 9:31 of the first period with a power-play goal.

Standing in the right faceoff circle, Dumont grabbed the rebound of defenseman Ville Koistinen's one-timer from the top of the slot and flipped it just under the crossbar for his 13th goal of the season. The tally extended Dumont's goal-scoring streak to three games.

"We definitely needed a quick start, and that's exactly what we did," Dumont said. "When we score the first goal, we play some good hockey."

Smithson doubled the lead just 84 seconds later with his fourth goal. Taking advantage of a bad line change by Edmonton, Smithson picked up the puck and cruised in on a short breakaway before sliding it between goaltender Mathieu Garon's pads.

"We got a couple of goals right off of the hop," Arnott said. "It was a big boost for us, and we just kind of rolled with it."

"One of the things we talked about was getting off to a really good start," Predators coach Barry Trotz added. "They had a big win last night, so we knew that they were going to come out with a lot of energy. We wanted to have a really good first period. I thought that was a real key for us."

Stortini halved the deficit with 5:41 remaining in the period with his first tally since February 6, a span of 50 games. But the Predators regained their two-goal advantage just over three minutes later on Radulov's first goal.

The 21-year-old Russian carried the puck down the right wing and cut through the faceoff circle to the slot as Edmonton defenseman Dick Tarnstrom fell to the ice and beat Garon with a wrister for his 11th tally.

"It's great that he's scoring and his confidence is high right now," Arnott said. "There's no question, we need the goals. He's working hard in the offensive zone. Now we just have to get him paying a little more attention in the defensive zone."

A former Oiler, Arnott extended the Predators' lead to 4-1 with a power-play goal at 7:21 of the second period, converting a backhand pass from defenseman Marek Zidlicky for his 14th tally.

After Ellis denied Kyle Brodziak's penalty-shot attempt midway through the second, Moreau drew the Oilers within 4-2 less than four minutes into the third with a man-advantage goal.

But Radulov capped the first regular-season two-goal performance of his career at 6:54 to restore Nashville's three-goal bulge.

"We lacked any composure whatsoever," Oilers coach Craig MacTavish said. "Early on in the game on the back end, we were turning pucks over and hanging on to pucks, not moving the puck and losing the puck at the point of contact."

Arnott stripped Edmonton defenseman Joni Pitkanen of the puck in the right faceoff circle and dished to Radulov, who beat Garon to the glove side from the low slot for a 5-2 cushion.

"Rads is a goal-scorer," Dumont said. "If he has time to take a shot, you know that he's going to find the right spot. Those were two big goals from him."

Radulov, who recorded a two-goal game against San Jose in last season's Western Conference quarterfinals, was more focused on his team's performance than his own.

"We're winning. That's the only thing that matters to me," he said. "It was a great game, everybody played well. Arnie and J.P. are great players, and we are playing well right now together. We just have to keep it going."

Brodziak was awarded a penalty shot after being hooked from behind by Zidlicky on a shorthanded breakaway at 9:41 of the middle session. But Ellis thwarted the attempt, stopping Brodziak's backhander with an outstretched right pad.

"I had played with Kyle for one season in Iowa (of the American Hockey League)," Ellis said. "We always did breakaways (in practice). He would always fake the shot and go backhand upstairs. I didn't remember that until after the penalty shot, though."

Ellis had allowed goals on the two penalty shots he faced earlier this season. Entering Thursday, only 11 tallies have been scored on 39 attempts in the NHL in 2007-08.

"It was my third penalty shot, and I finally mixed in a save," Ellis joked.