Stars Top Predators
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NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Just as they found new ways to win for the first three-quarters of the season, the Nashville Predators are now unearthing new ways to lose.
Dallas center Cody Eakin handed Nashville its ninth loss in its last 11 home games, converting a penalty shot at 4:04 of overtime Saturday night to lift the Stars to a 4-3 win.
Once 26-3-1 at home, the Predators (47-22-10) haven’t beaten a Western Conference team in Bridgestone Arena since Feb. 24. On that night, they walloped Colorado 5-2 to open a nine-point lead over St. Louis in the Central Division.
Now, Nashville’s edge over the Blues is down to a point after going 6-9-3 in its last 18 games, and could disappear if St. Louis wins in Chicago on Sunday night.
“I thought we did some good things, but we could have played a cleaner game,” Predators coach Peter Laviolette said. “We had a flat spot or two. We made some mistakes in the defensive end.”
Eakin took advantage of the biggest one, splitting two defenders and drawing a slash from diving defenseman Mattias Ekholm as he tried to prevent a breakaway. It broke Eakin’s stick and referee Justin St. Pierre quickly awarded the penalty shot.
Eakin didn’t get fancy, skating down the middle and beating goalie
Pekka Rinne (41-15-6) with a wrister for his 18th goal of the year, keeping Dallas’ slim playoff hopes alive.
“I went to old faithful and shot at the blocker,” a grinning Eakin said. “We’re still alive. All we can do is take it one period at a time and see what happens.”
At 38-31-10, the Stars must win their last three games while Winnipeg and the Los Angeles Kings go into season-ending tailspins. An overtime loss would have eliminated Dallas.
“All we talked about was just winning the game,” Stars coach Lindy Ruff said when asked what he told his team.
It appeared that Dallas wouldn’t need Eakin’s dramatics to win this one after it snapped a 1-1 tie with two goals just over four minutes apart early in a wild third period.
Center Tyler Seguin notched his 37th goal with a one-timer on the power play at 3:23, followed by a rebound goal from center Colton Sceviour at 7:29 for his eighth of the season.
But the Stars, which hacked up a two-goal advantage in Friday night’s 7-5 loss to St. Louis, did it again. Defenseman Ryan Ellis drew Nashville within one with his eighth goal at 10:46 off a feed from center Filip Forsberg.
Left winger James Neal equalized at 18:05, shortly after Rinne was pulled for a sixth attacker. Neal ripped a one-timer from the right faceoff circle for his 23rd goal of the season, giving center Mike Ribeiro his 500th career assist.
This time, Dallas collected itself and didn’t allow its playoff hopes to die before the season’s final week.
“We just needed to believe we can win,” Stars goalie Jhonas Enroth said.
Enroth (15-26-2) stopped 33 shots in his first win as a starter since being acquired from Buffalo on Feb. 11. Rinne bagged 20 saves on 24 shots.
Forsberg gave the Predators a 1-0 lead at 9:59 of the first period with his 24th goal of the season, a tap-in off Ekholm’s deflected pass. Left winger Travis Moen put Dallas on the board at 4:09 of the second period with a rebound goal, his third of the season.
While Dallas clings to the last shred of playoff life, the Predators are flailing around, trying to find the form that made them the league’s best team through the season’s first 61 games.
“We’re going on the road (to Colorado on Tuesday night) and try to straighten this out,” Laviolette said.
