Preds snap back with road victory
EDMONTON, Alberta — Maybe it was the chilly snowfall that greeted the Predators yesterday morning in Edmonton, or — more than likely — it was the cold reality that they entered last night's game against the Oilers in last place in the Western Conference.

Whichever the case, something seemed to wake up the Predators yesterday, and they responded by snapping a four-game winless streak with a 4-2 win over Edmonton.

The Predators (2-4-2) looked to be tottering on shaky legs entering the contest, having collected just four points through the first seven games of the season and having surrendered a combined 83 shots on goal in their past two outings.

In contrast, the Oilers (6-3-1-0) had gone 6-1-1 in their previous eight games. But trailing 2-1 in the second period, it was the Predators who responded with heart in front of 15,281 in the Skyreach Centre, scoring three straight goals to post their first victory since Oct. 11.

''We needed a win,'' said Predators goalie Mike Dunham, who owns both Nashville victories this season.

''We'd let a few leads slip away this year, so this was a good character builder to go into the third period tied 2-2. We talked between periods about going out there and earning it.''

The Predators are hardly out of the woods yet, as they return to the ice tonight in Vancouver, and on Thursday visit Calgary, which currently has the most points in the NHL.

But last night's victory was a needed confidence boost for a team that was in danger of falling well off the pace in the conference postseason race.

''We know it's early in the year and we can't panic, but we couldn't let things slip away, either,'' said right wing Scott Walker, who collected a goal and an assist. ''A lot of the older guys talked about it at dinner last night ... It was time to really step up and play hard.''

The Predators looked more like the team they'd hoped to be this season, holding the Oilers to 26 shots on goal and collecting a pair of power-play goals — one each from Walker and Kimmo Timonen.

Nashville looked especially strong in the latter half of the third period, important because opponents had outscored the Predators 8-2 in third periods before last night.

Dunham made three big saves on Anson Carter, Georges Laraque and Jochen Hecht to keep the score tied 2-2, before Vladimir Orszagh tallied the eventual game-winner. He drove hard down the right side, and while falling, flipped a puck that bounced off bodies and past Tommy Salo for a 3-2 advantage with 10:40 remaining. Timonen finished off the Oilers about three minutes later by scoring his first goal of the season, a laser from the faceoff circle that beat Salo to the upper corner.

''This was a real confidence booster for us,'' Predators Coach Barry Trotz said. ''It was something we really needed. That's Predators hockey — that's what we've been talking about and preaching about.''

The teams had split the goal's first four games, with Scott Hartnell giving the Predators a first-period lead, only to see Carter and Laraques answer to put the Oilers ahead 2-1 with 1:54 in the second period.

Edmonton had a chance to gain more of an advantage less than a minute later, as the Predators' Greg Johnson was whistled for a four-minute, high-sticking minor. Nashville killed off those penalties, and held the Oilers without a goal during six power-play attempts.

The four-minute kill may have turned some momentum in the Predators' direction, as they tied the score before the end of the period when Walker deflected Timonen's blue-line shot past Salo to make it 2-2.

''Both special teams were huge for us tonight,'' Trotz said. ''I really thought our battle skills were high because we won a lot of the little battles all night long.''