DENVER (AP) Nashville pulled off another comeback victory to
remain the NHL¡¯s hottest team.Filip Forsberg scored at 1:07 of overtime and the
Predators matched the franchise record with their eighth straight
victory
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Ryan Kesler Jersey , beating the Colorado Avalanche 4-3 on Sunday. They
completed a 4-0 trip, winning the last two in overtime.¡±We¡¯ve proven to
ourselves that we can come back,¡± Forsberg said. ¡±Getting four out of four wins
on the road is ridiculous right now. But at the same time we can¡¯t get too high.
We have to keep grinding and winning the games.¡±Nashville has won nine straight
against Colorado, including three this season.But Avalanche coach Jared Bednar
said he still liked a lot of what he saw from his players in their latest effort
against the Predators.¡±I liked the way we played,¡± Bednar said. ¡±I thought we
got a little better as the game went on. It was a pretty good all-around effort
from our group. Pretty tight contest. They catch a break at the end and tie it
up and end up getting the extra point.¡±Nashville¡¯s Ryan Ellis tied it with 1:06
left in regulation with goalie Pekka Rinne off for an extra attacker.¡±It¡¯s 6 on
5 where we talk about getting pucks to the net,¡± Ellis said. ¡±I had one shot
that got stopped by the goalie and the next shot we had traffic in front of him
and it got in.¡±The Predators carried the momentum into overtime, when Forsberg
charged down the ice and put in the winner with a shot from the side that got
past goalie Semyon Varlamov.¡±The confidence level of our team is reaIly hard. It
shows our character, knowing there is no giving up,¡± Rinne said.Nathan MacKinnon
helped set up Colorado¡¯s first lead of the game with a cross-ice pass to Mikko
Rantanen, whose one-timer from the right circle to beat Rinne with 5:38 left in
the third period.Colorado tied it at 2 at 4:38 of the third when Matt Nieto, at
the end of a rush, wristed a shot that Rinne managed to deflect. But the puck
stayed around the goal and, as Predators winger Kevin Fiala tried to corral the
rebound
Ryan
Miller Jersey , his stick nudged the puck into the net.Kyle Turris scored
on a power play at 8:08 of the second to put the Predators in front. Turris
gathered in a pass from Ellis and wristed a shot from the left circle. The puck
went off the glove of goalie Semyon Varlamov before going into the net.Nikita
Zadarov had just left the penalty box and skated onto the ice after the
Avalanche had killed off his high-sticking infraction. Carl Soderberg picked up
a loose puck near the blue line, spotted Zadarov alone along the boards and sent
a lead pass to him to ignite a breakaway. Zadarov pulled up at the top of the
left circle and unleashed a slap shot that beat Rinne at 12:57 of the first to
even the score.Nashville broke on top 3:09 into the game when Austin Watson let
fly a shot from the slot that glanced off defenseman Anton Lindholm¡¯s jersey
before going into the net.NOTES: Avalanche C Colin Wilson missed the game after
leaving Friday night against Minnesota with a head injury. ¡ Five of the
Predators¡¯ nine wins in a row against the Avalanche have come in Colorado. ¡
Forsberg has 11 goals in 19 games against Colorado. ¡ The Avalanche saw their
three-game winning streak come to a halt. ¡ Nashville also won eight in a row
from Oct. 5-25, 2005.UP NEXTPredators: Host Dallas on Tuesday night.Avalanche:
At Chicago on Tuesday night. PITTSBURGH (AP) ¡ª Nick Bjugstad and Jared McCann
will always remember their first game with the Pittsburgh Penguins and the
whirlwind day surrounding their debuts.The newly-acquired Bjugstad and McCann
made it to the arena minutes before puck drop, and new teammates Bryan Rust and
Jake Guentzel each scored twice to help the Penguins beat the Ottawa Senators
5-3 on Friday night.¡°Showing up at game time was interesting and might have been
better for us because there wasn¡¯t much thinking,¡± Bjugstad said. ¡°It was pretty
surreal. We showed up to the rink and just played. I have dreams every once in
awhile where I¡¯m late to a game and that¡¯s kind of what it felt like, but
luckily it ended up well, so it was good.¡±Teddy Blueger got his first NHL goal
and Casey DeSmith stopped 37 shots as the Penguins won their second straight
after losing four of their previous five.Bjugstad contributed in his first game
with the Penguins hours after he was acquired from Florida, getting an assist on
Rust¡¯s first goal. He also won the offensive zone faceoff and provided a screen
in front on Rust¡¯s second goal.¡°They told us to keep it simple and that¡¯s kind
of what we did,¡± Bjugstad said.Bobby Ryan and Mikkel Boedker both scored
power-play goals, and Matt Duchene scored on a breakaway for the Senators, who
rallied to make it a one-goal game after falling behind, 4-1. Anders Nilsson
stopped 35 shots as Ottawa, playing for the first time since Jan.
22
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lost its third straight.¡°I think we knew they were going to press because they
knew we were coming off eight days,¡± Ryan said. ¡°They got the lead and kind of
just stuck to their guns, putting pucks to the net and doing things to wear guys
out.¡±Earlier in the day, the Penguins acquired forwards Bjugstad and Jared
McCann from the Panthers for forwards Derick Brassard, Riley Sheahan and three
2019 draft picks. The deal gives the Penguins an influx of youth in the
26-year-old Bjugstad and the 22-year-old McCann as they make another playoff
push.Bjugstad scored five goals and 12 points in 32 games with the Panthers,
while McCann had eight goals and 18 points in 46 games with Florida. Both are
signed through the 2020 season, with Bjugstad¡¯s deal expiring the following
year.¡°We felt like they could fit into our lineup and play certain roles that
could help us become a better team,¡± Penguins coach Mike Sullivan said. ¡°I
thought they had strong games under difficult circumstances.¡±Bjugstad and McCann
both took the morning skate with the Panthers, and boarded a plane to Pittsburgh
when they learned of the trade.¡°We¡¯ll always remember sitting on the plane,
wondering if we were going to make it,¡± Bjugstad said. ¡°We got to a point where
we were like ¡°alright, we better start doing something,¡± so we did a few groin
stretches in the plane. There wasn¡¯t much
room
Christian
Dvorak Jersey , but that was about all we could do.¡±Bjugstad and McCann
received a police escort and arrived at the arena minutes before faceoff, still
with their Florida Panther equipment bags as they hurried to join their
teammates on the ice. They first appeared on the bench prior to the start of the
national anthem.¡°Usually I have my coffee and do some stretches, but I didn¡¯t
have any of that,¡± Bjugstad said. ¡°We got here, threw our gear on and ran out
for the anthem.¡±With Evgeni Malkin out of the lineup, Bjugstad centered the
second line, while McCann was the third-line center. Malkin, who recorded his
600th NHL assist on Wednesday, will also miss Saturday¡¯s game at Toronto with an
upper-body injury.Bjugstad played a role on two of the first four goals as
Pittsburgh held a three-goal lead in the third period. Both Bjugstad and McCann
will be happy to have additional time to prepare Saturday against Toronto.¡°You
can¡¯t make this up,¡± Bjugstad said. ¡°It was good to get the win most
importantly, but I think I¡¯ll remember this one for the rest of my life.¡±NOTES:
Ottawa¡¯s Colin White returned after missing five games with a shoulder injury. ¡
Sidney Crosby is three games from tying Hall of Fame owner Mario Lemieux¡¯s
franchise record of 915 games played. ¡ Guentzel has seven goals in his last
eight games. ¡ Phil Kessel is two points from becoming the 17th American-born
player to reach 800 points. ¡ Ottawa¡¯s Mark Stone recorded his 300th NHL
point.UP NEXTSenators: Host Detroit on Saturday.Penguins: Visit Toronto on
Saturday.