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Vasicek does in former team as Predators win

Sep 23, 2006 - 1:55 AM RALEIGH, North Carolina (Ticker) -- Josef Vasicek was out to prove the Carolina Hurricanes made a mistake. He got his point across in dramatic fashion.

Vasicek's shorthanded goal with 65 seconds remaining in the third period snapped a tie and lifted the Nashville Predators to a 5-4 preseason triumph over the defending Stanley Cup champion Hurricanes.

A fourth-round pick of Carolina in 1998, Vasicek was traded to Nashville in July for Scott Walker. After assisting on Ramzi Abid's goal with six minutes left in the second period that gave the Predators a 4-3 lead, the Czech tallied with four seconds left on teammate Mikko Lehtonen's hooking penalty late in the third.

Nashville stormed out to a 3-0 lead just 3:47 into the contest. Kim Staal - no relation to Carolina's Eric Staal - opened the scoring at 1:41 and tallied again 11 seconds after Scott Nichol's goal at 3:36.

But the Hurricanes answered with goals by Ray Whitney, Shane Willis and Andrew Ladd to tie it. Whitney added his second of the game on the power play midway through the third to knot the game at 4-4.

Jordin Tootoo and Scott Hartnell recorded two assists apiece for Nashville, which rested Paul Kariya and defensemen Kimmo Timonen, Marek Zidlicky and Dan Hamhuis.

Willis also set up two tallies for the Hurricanes, who played without Eric Staal and Justin Williams.