Predators 4, Bruins 3, OT
Associated Press

Photos: Predators 4, Bruins 3 (OT)
Video:  Game Highlights
Video:  3rd Time's A Charm
Video:  Rinne's Breakaway Save
Video:  Rinne | Weber | Trotz
Post-Game Podcasts:
                             Wilson | Kostitsyn
Statistics: Game Summary
Tickets: Preds vs. Wings - 3/19

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - The Nashville Predators finally got a win in overtime.

Just when they needed it, too.

Shea Weber scored a power-play goal with 1:23 left in overtime, and the Predators beat the Boston Bruins 4-3 Thursday night, getting two crucial points to stay just outside the eighth spot in the Western Conference.

Steven Kampfer was penalized for holding Mike Fisher 2:59 into overtime. Weber scored off a pass from Ryan Suter and Nashville won for the first time in overtime this season. The Predators' previous six victories past regulation all came in the shootout.

"Overtime has not been kind to the Nashville Predators, so that was huge for us," Nashville coach Barry Trotz said. "It was a huge two points. You talk about a character win."

Nashville won for the third time in four games.

"We definitely needed that," Nashville center Colin Wilson said. "With how close the race is, every point counts. So to get that extra one was a big deal for us."

David Legwand's goal tied it at 10:56 of the third period, and he also had an assist on the game winner. Wilson and Sergei Kostitsyn each had a goal and an assist. Patric Hornqvist got a game misconduct late in the first period for elbowing Tyler Seguin.

Patrice Bergeron put Boston up 3-2 with his goal 1:42 into the third. Seguin and David Krejci also scored for Boston.

The Bruins were playing the first of two games with center Brad Marchand suspended by the NHL for an elbow to the head of Columbus Blue Jackets center R.J. Umberger. They now are 1-2-3, having lost five of the last six.

"We have to get sharper in our decision making because right now it is becoming too costly for us," Bruins coach Claude Julien said.

This game featured two top candidates for the Vezina Trophy in goalies Tim Thomas of Boston and Nashville's Pekka Rinne. Thomas came in with the league's best save percentage and goals against average with Rinne second in both categories.

But Thomas sat while backup Tuukka Rask played in the Bruins' first trip to Nashville since Feb. 14, 2009. Rask lost for only the second time in his past seven games, while Rinne stopped a big shot by Zdeno Chara in overtime to keep the Predators in the game.

"Peks today was spectacular," Trotz said. "He kept us in there all game, and that's why I think he's a Vezina and a Hart candidate."

The Bruins beat Rinne first as Seguin scored on a wrister that beat the goalie over his glove at 1:50 of the first period. Nashville tied it up at 7:53 when Kostitsyn got the puck at the edge of the right circle and wristed it past Rask, who had been at the front edge of the crease blocking shots.

Boston got a big advantage when Hornqvist headed to the locker room with the game misconduct that appeared on replay to show Hornqvist hitting him with his shoulder. Nashville killed off the penalty, and an official would not talk with a pool reporter about the hit after the game.

Seguin hadn't seen the replay after the game. He said he saw Hornqvist coming and braced for a hit.

"Then I felt something, and it kind of hit my ear," Seguin said.

Trotz said everyone in the NHL from commissioner Gary Bettman down are more sensitive to protecting players from hits to the head. He said sometimes a play is just a hockey play.

"We have the advantage of watching it in slow motion, and we have the advantage of watching it numerous times," Trotz said. "he has to make a split-second call, and angles are everything for what you see."

The Predators had a chance to go up with 40 seconds of a 5-on-3 in the second. Without Hornqvist and with Joel Ward scratched for a second straight game with a lower body injury, the Predators couldn't beat Rask. Rinne had to glove a shot on a shorthanded breakaway by Michael Ryder.

Wilson put Nashville up 2-1 with a give and go with Jonathon Blum with a wrister as he skated up the left side at 10:59. That didn't last long as Rinne stopped a shot by Nathan Horton before Krejci scored into the open side of the net at 13:33.

Bergeron put the Bruins ahead with his 22nd this season, a wrister past Rinne. The Bruins later missed a shot off the post during a power play.

Martin Erat came out of the box after that penalty, got the puck for a breakaway on Rask who stopped his shot. Rask also stopped Kostitsyn's shot off the rebound but couldn't stop Legwand's 12th goal. Rask tossed his stick up into the air in frustration.

"Maybe I could have done something differently, but it wasn't a bad game," Rask said. "Just a tough loss."

Notes: With his goal, Weber became the franchise's all-time scorer among defensemen with 80 for his career. ... Legwand now has 11 points (3 goals, 8 assists) in his last 10 games and 16 points (5 goals, 11 assists) in 16 games. ... Krejci extended his point streak to seven games, and he has three goals and six assists for nine points.


Three star selections
1st:   SHEA WEBER
2nd:   COLIN WILSON
3rd:   PATRICE BERGERON
Winning Goaltender
Pekka Rinne

Losing Goaltender
Tuukka Rask

SCHEDULE

HOME
AWAY
PROMOTIONAL

STANDINGS

WESTERN CONFERENCE
  TEAM GP W L OT GF GA PTS
1 p - CHI 48 36 7 5 155 102 77
2 y - ANA 48 30 12 6 140 118 66
3 y - VAN 48 26 15 7 127 121 59
4 x - STL 48 29 17 2 129 115 60
5 x - LAK 48 27 16 5 133 118 59
6 x - SJS 48 25 16 7 124 116 57
7 x - DET 48 24 16 8 124 115 56
8 x - MIN 48 26 19 3 122 127 55
9 CBJ 48 24 17 7 120 119 55
10 PHX 48 21 18 9 125 131 51
11 DAL 48 22 22 4 130 142 48
12 EDM 48 19 22 7 125 134 45
13 CGY 48 19 25 4 128 160 42
14 NSH 48 16 23 9 111 139 41
15 COL 48 16 25 7 116 152 39

STATS

2012-2013 REGULAR SEASON
SKATERS: GP G A +/- Pts
S. Weber 48 9 19 -2 28
D. Legwand 48 12 13 -6 25
M. Fisher 38 10 11 6 21
C. Wilson 25 7 12 1 19
R. Josi 48 5 13 -7 18
G. Bourque 34 11 5 6 16
S. Kostitsyn 46 3 12 -5 15
P. Hornqvist 24 4 10 -1 14
K. Klein 47 3 11 -1 14
N. Spaling 47 9 4 -10 13
 
GOALIES: W L OT Sv% GAA
P. Rinne 15 16 8 .910 2.43
C. Mason 1 7 1 .873 3.73

 


nashvillepredators.com is the official Web site of the Nashville Predators and nashvillepredators.com are trademarks of the Nashville Predators.  NHL, the NHL Shield, the word mark and image of the Stanley Cup and NHL Conference logos are registered trademarks of the National Hockey League. All NHL logos and marks and NHL team logos and marks as well as all other proprietary materials depicted herein are the property of the NHL and the respective NHL teams and may not be reproduced without the prior written consent of NHL Enterprises, L.P. Copyright © 1999-2013 Nashville Predators and the National Hockey League. All Rights Reserved.

NHL Ticket Exchange | Bridgestone Arena | Contact Us | Employment | NHL.com Terms of Use | Site Map | AdChoices