Predators Keep the Blues Away

As far as Coach Barry Trotz is concerned, Nashville got what it needed at St. Louis.

The Predators, seeking their first playoff berth, remained one point ahead of St. Louis for the final postseason spot in the Western Conference after a 1-1 tie Thursday night with the Blues.

“That was part of our goal, at least come in here and win the hockey game or not let them gain any ground,” Trotz said. “We accomplished that, so that’s really a huge point for us. I think it’s a good momentum builder for us on the road.”

Kimmo Timonen scored for Nashville, and Eric Weinrich connected for St. Louis, which has been in the playoffs 24 years in a row, the longest current streak in major league sports.

St. Louis has played 22 overtime games this season and is 10-2-10. The 10 overtime wins are the most in the NHL and one short of the league record. Nashville is 6-2-9 in overtime.

Before the tie, Nashville had lost three of four games. The Blues had won their last eight home games against Nashville by an aggregate score of 30-7.

“We’ve got to find ways to win,” Blues forward Keith Tkachuk said. “We thought we deserved a little better here tonight.”

Detroit 4, Columbus 2 -- Brett Hull snapped a tie midway through the third period, and the Red Wings stretched their unbeaten streak to six games at Columbus, Ohio.

Jason Williams, a healthy scratch the previous 20 games, scored twice for Detroit, winners of eight of 11 despite injuries to key offensive players.

Detroit’s Curtis Joseph, making his first start since sitting out 11 games because of a sprained right ankle, finished with 31 saves. He also made a stop that led to Hull’s goal.

San Jose 5, N.Y. Islanders 4 -- Nils Ekman had a goal and two assists during a wild second period at San Jose to help the Sharks end a three-game losing streak.

Jonathan Cheechoo had two goals for San Jose, which chased goalie Rick DiPietro with five goals in 19 minutes spanning the second and third periods.

Dallas 2, Philadelphia 2 -- Brenden Morrow’s goal with 35 seconds left in regulation lifted the Stars into a tie at Philadelphia.

Rob DiMaio also scored for Dallas, 8-1-2 in its last 11 games and three points behind Vancouver for fourth place in the Western Conference.

Marcus Ragnarsson and Tony Amonte scored for Philadelphia, which moved within two points of Tampa Bay for first place in the East.

Boston 3, Buffalo 2 -- Mike Knuble scored his 20th goal of the season 1:15 into overtime at Buffalo, N.Y.

Jiri Slegr and Martin Lapointe also scored for the Bruins, who extended their unbeaten streak to four games (3-0-1). Miroslav Satan and J.P. Dumont scored for the Sabres.

Calgary 4, Ottawa 2 -- Ville Nieminen’s second goal in two games helped the Flames regain sole possession of sixth place in the Western Conference at Calgary, Canada. Marcus Nilson had two goals for the Flames.

New Jersey 6, Chicago 4 -- Patrik Elias scored two late goals, and the Devils moved within six points of first-place Philadelphia by holding on at East Rutherford, N.J. After trailing, 4-1, in the second period, the last-place Blackhawks made it interesting by coming within 5-4 with 5:33 left.

Florida 3, Montreal 2 -- Olli Jokinen scored his second goal of the game 1:19 into overtime at Montreal.

Florida’s Josh Olson scored in his NHL debut in the third period in helping end a three-game losing streak. The Canadiens had a three-game winning streak ended.

Pittsburgh 3, Toronto 2 -- Ric Jackman, Rico Fata and Aleksey Morozov scored against backup Trevor Kidd at Toronto to lead the Penguins to their season-high fourth victory in a row. Pittsburgh won despite allowing a season-high 46 shots.