Music: {allcanada} Fisher's goal lifts Predators past red-hot Jets

Tuesday, January 28, 2014

{allcanada} Fisher's goal lifts Predators past red-hot Jets

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WINNIPEG - Mike Fisher's power-play goal 42 seconds into the third period enabled the Nashville Predators to survive a blown two-goal lead and beat the Winnipeg Jets 4-3 on Tuesday night.

Fisher's 14th of the season snapped a 3-3 tie after Winnipeg had wiped out a 3-1 Predators advantage with two goals in 27 seconds late in the second period.

Twenty-two seconds after the officials waved off a Nashville goal after center David Legwand bumped into goaltender Pavelec, the Predators went ahead to stay when Fisher jabbed a rebound off a scramble over the goal line with Winnipeg's Devin Setoguchi off for slashing.

The Predators wrapped up a four-game journey through Western Canada with a 2-1-1 record and slipped one point past the Jets out of last place in the Central Division.

The Jets, who won on the road against the Anaheim Ducks and Chicago Blackhawks in the past week, continue to attempt to remain a factor in the Stanley Cup Playoff race. They fell to 6-2-0 under new coach Paul Maurice, who replaced Claude Noel on Jan. 12 after the Jets had lost five straight games.

Predators rookie defenseman Seth Jones opened the scoring with his fifth goal. Roman Josi scored his seventh of the season to put the Predators up 2-1 early in the second period, and Nick Spaling's 10th goal made it 3-1 with 2:42 left before intermission.

But Jets rookie Mark Scheifele and Blake Wheeler scored to get the Jets even after 40 minutes. Chris Thorburn, who replaced injured left wing Evander Kane on the Jets' second line, had a first-period goal for Winnipeg.

Carter Hutton, whom Winnipeg knocked out with four first-period goals in a 5-0 win Nov. 8, started for the Predators and made 24 saves. Ondrej Pavelec started for the ninth time in the Jets' past 10 games and stopped 21 shots.

Predators captain Shea Weber exited the game early in the third period with an upper-body injury and did not return.

Jones opened the scoring when he danced past Winnipeg defenseman Tobias Enstrom coming down the left boards and swung around the net before scoring on a wraparound at 3:48. The Jets tied the game 22 seconds later when Thorburn tipped Jets defenseman Mark Stuart's point shot past Hutton, ending a personal 50-game goalless streak that dated to April 11, 2013.

Josi finished off a passing play with Craig Smith and Legwand after a push into the Winnipeg zone for a 2-1 lead 42 seconds into the second period. His seven goals are a career high.

Spaling put the Predators up 3-1 at 17:18 when he swatted Paul Gaustad's centering pass behind Pavelec. Rookie Colton Sissons, recalled Monday from the Milwaukee Admirals of the American Hockey League, assisted on the goal in his NHL debut.

But the Jets went to work erasing Nashville's 3-1 lead 55 seconds after Spaling's tally. After luring Hutton out of position, Scheifele banked the puck from the goal line off Josi and into the net at 18:13. Wheeler followed with a rising shot that Hutton failed to glove at 18:40.

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