NASHVILLE http://www.officialsharks.com/authentic-adidas-brent-burns-jersey , Tenn. (AP) — The Nashville Predators credited their defensive effort after their latest win.Kevin Fiala scored the tiebreaking goal late in the second period and the Predators beat the Buffalo Sabres 2-1 Monday night. Ryan Ellis also scored and Pekka Rinne stopped 21 shots to help Nashville win its second straight.“I thought we were really good defensively tonight,” Nashville coach Peter Laviolette said. “They’ve got a lot of tools over there, a lot of people that can hurt you, certainly that top line and they’ve got some guys from the back end that can really move the puck and add to the rush.”Rinne stopped eight shots in the first, five in the second and eight in the third. Five of the eight Rinne turned away in the third came in the final 1:17 with Hutton lifted for an extra attacker — including a stop on a slap shot by the Sabres’ Jack Eichel with 15.4 seconds remaining.“That was one of our better defensive games all year,” Rinne said. “Guys did an extremely good job just staying with it. … They have a lot of team speed and they’re top couple of lines are pretty dangerous.”Sam Reinhart had a goal for Buffalo, which is 0-2-1 since a 10-game winning streak — with each loss coming by one goal. Carter Hutton had 23 saves.“It seems like we’ve been having trouble for a little bit here,” Reinhart said. “So we’ve got to figure that out, get back to what gave us success earlier.”On the Predators’ go-ahead goal, Craig Smith had the puck in the left corner and found Fiala at the left faceoff dot, where he snapped a quick wrist shot between Hutton’s pads with 3:26 left in the middle period. It gave Fiala six points in his last six games.Reinhart had tied the score 1-1 earlier in the period. After a mad scramble in front Julien Gauthier Jersey Womens , Reinhart’s backhand was turned aside by Rinne but Nashville captain Roman Josi’s clearing attempt with his backhand went into the net, giving Reinhart his seventh of the season at 5:20.“I did like the shot mentality in that little spurt,” Sabres coach Phil Housley said. “I thought there were times where we did control the play. But other than that, I didn’t mind the way we played. I just thought we needed to generate more.”Housley served as an assistant coach with the Predators for four seasons prior to getting the head coaching job in Buffalo.Ellis scored the game’s first goal with 3:35 left in the first. With the Predators on a power play, Josi sent a pass from the right point to Ellis at the top of the left faceoff circle, and Ellis fired a one-timer high to Hutton’s glove side.“Great win for us, I think especially the defense played well and Peks was Peks like always,” Josi said. “It’s a huge win. That’s a good team over there. They’re playing really well this year.”NOTES: The road team had won the previous six matchups between the teams. … Nashville is 15-1-0 this season when scoring first. … Predators C Nick Bonino returned to the lineup after missing one game with an illness. … Reinhart has six goals and one assist in seven career games against Nashville. … Hutton, who served as Rinne’s backup in Nashville for three seasons beginning in the 2013-14 season, dropped to 0-3-1 against his former team.UP NEXTSabres: Host Toronto on Tuesday night to open a stretch of four straight at home.Predators: At Vancouver on Thursday night. DENVER (AP) – The Colorado Avalanche were playing out the string a year ago. With 19 games left in this season they’re battling for their first playoff berth in four years.”It’s a complete 180. We had nothing to play for last year at this time and this year we have everything to play,” center Nathan MacKinnon said. ”We’re going to try to keep it going.”MacKinnon and Tyson Barrie each had a goal and an assist in the Avalanche’s 5-2 victory over the Calgary Flames on Wednesday night.Matt Nieto and Nikita Zadorov also scored Womens Evander Kane Jersey , and Semyon Varlamov made 30 saves. The Avalanche have won 12 of 13 home games to tighten the Western Conference playoff race.Colorado tied Calgary with 73 points and moved within a point of Anaheim and St. Louis for the second wild card.”It’s huge,” Barrie said. ”I don’t think anybody picked us to be here. So here we are.”Mikael Backlund and Michael Frolik scored, and David Rittich stopped 29 shots for Calgary, which couldn’t rally with its leading scorer out for the last 11:55.Johnny Gaudreau was tossed after drawing a high-sticking penalty on Colorado’s Blake Comeau. Gaudreau was given an embellishment minor on the play and then assessed a game misconduct after arguing with the officials from the penalty box.”I don’t know how you’re supposed to react to getting hit in the face,” Calgary coach Glen Gulutzan said of the embellishment call. ”When I lost half the vision in my left eye getting a stick in the face, I throw my head back. He was flying, 20 mph, whatever he’s going, and you get a stick in the face? Your head’s going back. I don’t get it. If I’m Johnny I’m mad, too.”You’re a guy that’s six, eight penalty minutes a year? Come on.”Gulutzan said Gaudreau was tossed after he made a gesture to the official while sitting in the penalty box.”You can’t make a gesture because officials don’t want to be shown up on TV Authentic Joe Pavelski Jersey ,” Gulutzan said. ”That’s kind of the unwritten rule. He just kind of waved his hand.”Colorado took control with a four-goal flurry in the second period that turned a 2-0 deficit into a two-goal lead. MacKinnon’s 29th midway through the period started it, Zadorov tied it 1:08 later, and Barrie gave the Avs a 3-2 lead with his seventh goal at 12:41.Nieto made it 4-2 with 1:18 to go when Carl Soderberg threaded a pass through two defensemen to the front of the net for an easy tap-in.Duncan Siemens sealed it when he scored into an empty net with 17 seconds left in the game for his first NHL goal.The Flames had a late power play and pulled Rittich for a two-man advantage but couldn’t score. They have now fallen out of a playoff position with 17 games left.”We were saying we controlled our own destiny,” Calgary captain Mark Giordano said. ”Now we are getting to that point where if we don’t start stringing wins together we are going to need some help.”The Flames capitalized on a pair of Colorado turnovers to take an early two-goal. Backlund scored a short-handed goal at 14:19 of the first, and Frolik made it 2-0 with his 10th goal 2:41 into the second.”Having a 2-0 lead, that’s when you to try to put them away and then play sound defense,” Flames forward Matthew Tkachuck said. ”We let them back in the game right away.”NOTES: Avalanche coach Jared Bednar celebrated his 46th birthday on Wednesday. … Colorado was 1 of 7 on the power play. … Flames D Nick Shore, acquired from Ottawa on Monday, was scratched due to illness. … The Avalanche recalled G Spencer Martin from the AHL to serve as Varlamov’s backup. Jonathan Bernier and Andrew Hammond are in the concussion protocol. … Calgary is 6-4-1 on the second night of back-to-back games. … Comeau and Soderberg had two assists each for Colorado.UP NEXTFlames: Host the New York Rangers on Friday night.Avalanche: Host Minnesota on Friday night.