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Preds stage five-goal rally to edge Pens

Fri 9th, January 2009

Nashville, TN (Sports Network) - Ryan Suter's power-play goal in the third period proved to be the game-winner, as the Nashville Predators erased a three-goal deficit to edge the Pittsburgh Penguins, 5-3, at Sommet Center.

Martin Erat, Greg Zanon and David Legwand each had a goal and an assist for Nashville, which snapped a season-high five-game losing streak. Jerred Smithson also lit the lamp for Nashville. Pekka Rinne stopped 17-of-18 shots in the win in relief of Dan Ellis, who allowed two goals on seven shots in the start for the Predators.

Jordan Staal, Petr Sykora and Maxime Talbot each scored once for Pittsburgh, which wasn't able to win a second game in a row. The Penguins haven't won back-to-back games since mid-November, when they put together a six-game winning streak.

Marc-Andre Fleury gave up four goals on 34 shots in the loss, Pittsburgh's sixth in its last seven games.

The Penguins blew a 3-0 lead they built up through the early second period, as the Preds came back to make it a 3-3 game after 40 minutes of play.

Then, approaching the midway point of the third period, Pittsburgh's Rob Scuderi was whistled for interference, giving Nashville a man advantage. The home team capitalized, as Suter blasted a shot from above the slot into the net at the 9:04 mark.

Rinne stopped all 15 shots he saw in the third period, while Zanon added an empty-net goal with 23 seconds left -- after recovering a clearing attempt in the neutral zone and having his shot deflected by a Pittsburgh stick -- to seal the win for Nashville.

Sykora had the only goal of the first period, while goals from Staal and Talbot just 21 seconds apart early in the middle frame gave Pittsburgh a seemingly solid 3-0 lead.

However, Erat tallied his 10th goal of the season at the 7:57 mark of the second to get Nashville on the scoreboard. Legwand had a shorthanded marker with 6:28 remaining, and Smithson's goal with only 55 ticks left in the second evened the contest going into the second intermission.

Game Notes

This was the teams' first meeting since Pittsburgh won a 4-1 contest on February 6, 2007...On Thursday, the Penguins and Staal agreed to terms on a new four-year contract. The new pact will start with the 2009-10 season and run through 2012-13...Jason Arnott had two assists for Nashville, while Sidney Crosby had two helpers for the Penguins.