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The Predators trailed 5-0, 2:13 into the second period before Martin Erat posted a three-point second period to start the Nashville rally, but the Preds were unable to net the equalizer, falling 7-6 at Calgary on Thursday night. Erat had a goal and two assists on the evening, matched by David Legwand with a three point night also on one goal and two assists. Four other Preds skaters posted multi-point evenings, including Shea Weber with two goals, Vernon Fiddler and Jason Arnott with one goal, one assist nights, and J.P. Dumont with two assists. Craig Conroy and Jarome Iginla both netted two goals for Calgary. Iginla added two assists for a four-point night, while Conroy chipped in one assist.

The game featured a little of everything. The team's recorded six even strength goals (four by forwards and two by defensemen), four power-play goals, and three shorthanded goals. Conroy opened the scoring with a shorthanded goal 7:26 into the game, converting a breakaway from the redline in and Weber closed out the scoring with a shorthanded tally at the 19:40 mark of the third, just 2:40 after Fiddler converted a shorthanded penalty shot attempt, after he was fouled from behind on a shorthanded breakaway attempt.

Erat and Arnott scored five-on-three power-play goals 1:18 apart early in the second period to bring the Predators to within three goals at 5-2. David Legwand made a strong move behind the Calgary net at the 8:25 mark of the middle period to feed Weber just below the right wing faceoff dot for Weber's first of the game, giving the Preds goals on three consecutive shots.

On the next shift after Weber's goal, an unforced icing taken by the Predators allowed the Flames an offensive zone faceoff. Calgary converted when Daymond Langkow redirected Mark Giordano's shot from the point, to extend the Flames lead to 6-3. Iginla converted a power-play 0:38 into the third period to push the lead back to four.

Legwand netted his second of the season with 14:36 left in regulation. With Nashville killing a penalty, Fiddler was hooked from behind on a two-on-one breakaway to earn a penalty shot. On the penalty shot, Fiddler made a deke move to get Calgary netminder Miikka Kiprusoff to commit and then roofed a wrist shot for his first goal of the season.

The Preds pulled Dan Ellis for an extra attacker with two minutes remaining in regulation, but Radek Bonk was forced to take a hooking penalty to prevent a Calgary scoring opportunity on the empty net. With Bonk in the penalty box, Weber roofed a shot from the side of the goal crease for his first career shorthanded goal. The Preds generated another shot on goal in the final 20 seconds of play, but were unable to net the equalizer.

Pekka Rinne started in net for the Predators and made several quality stops, including a highlight reel save on an Iginla breakaway with the score 1-0 Calgary. A miscommunication between Rinne and his defense led to a turnover deep in the Preds defensive zone and Rene Bourque jammed home a feed from Todd Bertuzzi to put the Flames up 2-0. Conroy netted his second of the game at the 16:44 mark, taking a pass from Iginla along the left wing boards and skating in on another breakaway from the faceoff dot down.

The Flames made the score 4-0 with 1:05 left in the opening frame. With the teams skating four-on-four, Greg Zanon's blast from the point hit J.P. Dumont on the ankle. Dumont fell to the ice and was unable to join the play as Calgary countered the other direction. On what amounted to a four-on-three, Cory Sarich pinched from the point and blasted home his first goal of the season.

Rinne was replaced by Dan Ellis to start the second period, but Iginla scored a power-play goal 2:13 into the middle frame to make the score 5-0.

Post-Game Notes:
Vernon Fiddler became the 21st Preds skater to record a point this season. All 21 skaters to dress for the Preds in '08-09 have now recorded at least one point ... Fiddler was also the 19th Preds skater to score a goal in '08-09 ... Shea Weber now has 7 goals this season, 1 more than he scored all of last season. Weber's 14 points in '08-09 are just 6 shy of total from a season ago ... Martin Erat scored his 92nd career goal as a member of the Predators, fifth-most in team history and just 1 goal shy of third place (93 goals, Scott Hartnell & Greg Johnson) ... Jason Arnott recorded his 4th multi-point game of the season ... Martin Erat recorded his 4th multi-point game of the season ... J.P. Dumont recorded his 3rd multi-point game of the season ... Weber recorded his 3rd multi-point game of the season ... David Legwand recorded his 2nd multi-point game of the season. Legwand has 8 points in his last 8 games (2g, 6a) after opening the season without a point in his first 5 games ... Fiddler recorded his 1st multi-point game of the season.