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PredDave · December 27th, 2006, 05:50 AM

News - Preds defeat Blues 3-2 in shootout - Nashville Predators

Preds defeat Blues 3-2 in shootout

Rookie Alexander Radulov scored the game-deciding shootout goal and Chris Mason stopped all four St. Louis Blues shooters he faced as the Nashville Predators defeated the St. Louis Blues 3-2 Tuesday night at the Gaylord Entertainment Center.

Mason stopped Bill Guerin, Martin Rucinsky, Keith Tkachuk and Doug Weight in succession whille Blues goaltender Manny Legace turned aside chances by Steve Sullivan, Paul Kariya, and Martin Erat before Radulov lifted a backhander past the netminder in the fourth round of the tie-breaking session.

"In a shootout you have to have a little bit of composure," Predators head coach Barry Trotz said when asked why he chose Radulov as his team's fourth shooter. "Some guys like [Sullivan] and [Kariya] have that sort of ice in their veins when it comes to that. And I think this kid does. It was just a gut feeling. His dad's in town. I said, 'What the heck.' "

In the locker room, Radulov admitted to being a bit nervous when he took the ice for his shootout attempt. "A little bit," he said. "As soon as I started skating it was OK."

The win improves Nashville's record to 25-9-3 for the season. The Predators have now won 12 straight meetings with the Blues dating back to Oct. 15, 2005. They widen their Central Divison lead to six points over the Detroit Red Wings, who were idle Tuesday.

The game was scoreless after a well-played and penalty-free first period. Erat set up Kariya for a goal 1:21 into the second period to give Nashville a 1-0 lead, but the Blues outscored the Predators 2-1 in the third to knot the game at 2-2. With less than seven minutes left, Nashville failed to convert on a 5-on-3 advantage that lasted 1:27. As a result the tie remained through the end of regulation to force the five-minute overtime session. The Predators had another great chance to win the game in OT, with two full minutes of a 4-on-3 power play, but again came up empty.

"Obviously you need to score on a 5-on-3 and also a 4-on-3 in overtime, but we still won the game," Kariya said. "We'll make some adjustments and go from there."

Still tied at the overtime buzzer, the game went to a shootout where Radulov converted on his first ever shootout attempt to secure the win. Nashville is now 4-1 in shootouts this season.

December 27th, 2006, 05:50 AM	#15 (permalink)
PredDave Veteran Member Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Nashville, TN Posts: 832	News - Preds defeat Blues 3-2 in shootout - Nashville Predators Preds defeat Blues 3-2 in shootout Rookie Alexander Radulov scored the game-deciding shootout goal and Chris Mason stopped all four St. Louis Blues shooters he faced as the Nashville Predators defeated the St. Louis Blues 3-2 Tuesday night at the Gaylord Entertainment Center. Mason stopped Bill Guerin, Martin Rucinsky, Keith Tkachuk and Doug Weight in succession whille Blues goaltender Manny Legace turned aside chances by Steve Sullivan, Paul Kariya, and Martin Erat before Radulov lifted a backhander past the netminder in the fourth round of the tie-breaking session. "In a shootout you have to have a little bit of composure," Predators head coach Barry Trotz said when asked why he chose Radulov as his team's fourth shooter. "Some guys like [Sullivan] and [Kariya] have that sort of ice in their veins when it comes to that. And I think this kid does. It was just a gut feeling. His dad's in town. I said, 'What the heck.' " In the locker room, Radulov admitted to being a bit nervous when he took the ice for his shootout attempt. "A little bit," he said. "As soon as I started skating it was OK." The win improves Nashville's record to 25-9-3 for the season. The Predators have now won 12 straight meetings with the Blues dating back to Oct. 15, 2005. They widen their Central Divison lead to six points over the Detroit Red Wings, who were idle Tuesday. The game was scoreless after a well-played and penalty-free first period. Erat set up Kariya for a goal 1:21 into the second period to give Nashville a 1-0 lead, but the Blues outscored the Predators 2-1 in the third to knot the game at 2-2. With less than seven minutes left, Nashville failed to convert on a 5-on-3 advantage that lasted 1:27. As a result the tie remained through the end of regulation to force the five-minute overtime session. The Predators had another great chance to win the game in OT, with two full minutes of a 4-on-3 power play, but again came up empty. "Obviously you need to score on a 5-on-3 and also a 4-on-3 in overtime, but we still won the game," Kariya said. "We'll make some adjustments and go from there." Still tied at the overtime buzzer, the game went to a shootout where Radulov converted on his first ever shootout attempt to secure the win. Nashville is now 4-1 in shootouts this season.