Music: {allcanada} Eberle lifts Oilers to 3-2 win over Predators

Sunday, March 17, 2013

{allcanada} Eberle lifts Oilers to 3-2 win over Predators

EDMONTON, Alberta (AP) -- Jordan Eberle had a goal and assist to lift the Edmonton Oilers to a 3-2 victory over the Nashville Predators on Sunday night.

Magnus Paajarvi and Lennart Petrell also scored for the Oilers (11-11-6), who have won three of four.

Shea Weber and Roman Josi had goals for the Predators (11-12-6), who have lost the first three games of a four-game trip.

The Oilers scored first in the second period and then added two goals in the third to win. Devan Dubnyk made 29 saves.

The Predators had the game's first good scoring chance seven minutes into the first period but Dubnyk was able to rob Gabriel Bourque with a huge glove save.

Edmonton's best opportunity in the opening period came midway through when Eberle stole a puck deep in the Nashville zone and took off on a breakaway. But he wasn't able to get goalie Pekka Rinne to bite on his deke attempt, the Oilers' first shot of the game.

Nashville came close again with a minute left in the first as they raced into the Oilers' end on a 3-on-1 break, but Roman Josi's shot rang off the post.

The Oilers finally broke the scoreless deadlock eight minutes into the second period when Eberle flicked the rebound from a power-play point shot to Paajarvi, who hooked the puck into a wide-open net.

The Predators tied it with a power-play goal of their own with just over three minutes to play in the second period. Weber fired a point shot past Dubnyk for his fifth goal of the season.

The Oilers took a 2-1 lead with nine minutes remaining in the third with a short-handed goal. Sam Gagner won a race to a loose puck to create a two-on-one break. He dishing a pass to Petrell, who beat Rinne with a quick one-timer.

Edmonton scored an insurance goal with four minutes left as Eberle was able to beat Rinne with a high shot from the top of the circle to make it 3-1.

The Predators pulled Rinne for an extra skater, and Josi scored with 8.4 seconds left, but Nashville couldn't get any closer.

Nashville will wrap up its four-game trip on Tuesday at Columbus. The Oilers will host San Jose on Wednesday.

NOTES: It was the second of three meetings between the teams this season. Nashville routed the Oilers 6-0 in the previous matchup on March 8. ... Rinne came into the game having been yanked in both of his previous starts. Rinne was pulled in the second period of Thursday's 7-4 loss to Vancouver after allowing four goals on 12 shots. On Friday in Calgary he was lifted after giving up goals on both shots he faced in the first eight minutes. ... The Predators went to overtime in 11 of their first 28 games before Sunday, tying for the highest total in the NHL. ... Nashville forwards Colin Wilson, Paul Gaustad and Patric Hornqvist were all out with upper body injuries. Defenseman Hall Gill (lower body) was also sidelined. ... The Oilers were without forward Eric Belanger (groin), but fellow forward Ryan Jones and defenseman Mark Fistric returned to the lineup. ... Predators defenseman Scott Hannan left the game because of an upper body injury.