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PREDATORS 2, Canucks 1
Nashville edges Canucks at home
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- If nothing else, at least the Nashville Predators got to play spoiler against the Vancouver Canucks.
The Predators may be last in the Western Conference, but they hurt the Canucks' playoff chances with a 2-1 victory on Friday night. With four games left, the Canucks are 10th -- three points behind San Jose for the eighth and final playoff spot.
"We've got to win all four games," Canucks captain Mark Messier said, "then we need some help."
Vitali Yachmenev scored on a power play at 18:18 of the second period to lift the Predators. The goal came about when Yachmenev's pass from the left wing caromed off the left skate of Canucks defenseman Ed Jovanovski and into the net.
"It's an unfortunate play," Jovanovski said. "There's nothing you can do about it."
Nashville was just happy to get a good bounce.
"We had so many odd-man rushes but we weren't scoring," coach Barry Trotz said. "I keep telling them that good things happen when you go to the front of the net."
Nashville's win was its 28th of the year, equaling last year's total.
The Predators announced that goaltender Tomas Vokoun (knee) and rookie defenseman Marc Moro (ankle) are both out for the season. Vokoun, who has won nine games, will have surgery to repair torn cartilage in his knee.
Predators center Sebastien Bordeleau split the Canucks defense 8:52 into the game and put Nashville up 1-0. He took a pass from Ville Peltonen at the Vancouver line and beat Canucks defenseman Adrian Aucoin to the crease before shoveling the puck between goaltender Felix Potvin's pads.
Vancouver's Todd Bertuzzi tied it 1-1 just 10 seconds after he got out of the penalty box. Bertuzzi ripped a slap shot over Predators goalie Mike Dunham's glove 11:44 into the opening period. Bertuzzi's blast from the right circle was his career-high 24th goal and fourth in the last four games.
Moments after Dunham stopped a short-handed breakaway by Vancouver's Dennis Pederson, Yachmenev scored the game-winner.
"They don't ask how you score them, they just ask how many," Trotz said of the fluke goal.
The power-play goal was just the fourth in 12 games and 57 chances for the Predators.
Summary
-----------------------------
Vancouver 1 0 0--1
Nashville 1 1 0--2
-----------------------------
FIRST PERIOD -- Scoring: 1, Nashville, Bordeleau 10 (Peltonen, Walker),
8:52. 2, Vancouver, T Bertuzzi 24 (Baron), 11:44. Penalties: T Bertuzzi,
Van (goalie interference), 9:34.
SECOND PERIOD -- Scoring: 3, Nashville, Yachmenev 16 (power play)
(Millar, Lintner), 18:18. Penalties: Skrastins, Nas (boarding), 0:42;
Johnson, Nas (hooking), 4:39; Messier, Van (cross checking), 13:31; T
Bertuzzi, Van (elbowing), 16:22; Fitzgerald, Nas (interference), 19:30.
THIRD PERIOD -- Scoring: None.
Shots on goal:
---------------------------------
Vancouver 6 12 11--29
Nashville 15 11 6--32
---------------------------------
Power-play Conversions: Van - 0 of 3, Nas - 1 of 3. Goalies: Vancouver,
Potvin (32 shots, 30 saves; record: 16-26-9). Nashville, Dunham (29, 28;
record: 19-24-6). A:17,113. Referees: Shick, Watson. Linesmen: Driscoll,
Sericolo.
INDIVIDUAL PLAYER STATISTICS
Vancouver Nashville
G A +/- Shots G A +/- Shots
Aucoin 0 0 -1 2 Boikov 0 0 even 1
Baron 0 1 +1 2 Bordeleau 1 0 +1 3
Cassels 0 0 even 0 Cisar 0 0 -1 0
Cooke 0 0 +1 2 D Berehowsky 0 0 even 2
Druken 0 0 even 2 Fitzgerald 0 0 even 2
Hawgood 0 0 even 1 Houlder 0 0 even 3
Hendrickson 0 0 even 0 Johnson 0 0 -1 2
Jovanovski 0 0 even 3 Kjellberg 0 0 even 1
Klatt 0 0 even 1 Legwand 0 0 even 0
M Naslund 0 0 even 4 Lintner 0 1 -1 1
May 0 0 even 1 Millar 0 1 +1 1
Messier 0 0 even 1 Peltonen 0 1 +1 0
Morrison 0 0 -1 1 Robitaille 0 0 even 3
Ohlund 0 0 +1 0 Ronning 0 0 even 4
P Schaefer 0 0 even 2 Skrastins 0 0 even 3
Pederson 0 0 even 3 Valicevic 0 0 even 1
Strudwick 0 0 -1 0 Walker 0 1 +1 3
T Bertuzzi 1 0 even 4 Yachmenev 1 0 -1 2
Sopel Healthy Mowers Knee Injury
M Moro Ankle Injury
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