Diskussionen » Derek Grant and Ryan Kesler each had a goal

NASHVILLE Drew Doughty Jersey , Tenn. (AP) Injuries left the Avalanche playing their backup to the backup goaltender while needing a victory to stave off elimination.The goalie nicknamed the ”Hamburglar” came through.Andrew Hammond made a career-high 44 saves for his first postseason victory, and Colorado rallied to beat the Nashville Predators 2-1 on Friday night and sent the first-round series back to Denver for Game 6.”Obviously, it was a lot of fun,” said Hammond, who was mobbed in the locker room. ”We’re excited to have another game. We didn’t want this to be the last one of the season, and I think to a man, we all did whatever we could to make sure that wasn’t the case.”This is the third time the Avalanche had trailed 3-1 in a series since moving to Colorado. They lost the first two but have a chance Sunday to push the defending Western Conference champs to a seventh game after rallying with two goals in the final 4:11.They also became the first to win a playoff game in regulation when trailing in the final 5:00 of the third since Chicago won at Boston in Game 6 of the 2013 Stanley Cup Final.Gabriel Landeskog started the rally with his goal into an empty net with Nashville goalie Pekka Rinne caught outside the crease with his own teammate Ryan Ellis in his lap. Then Sven Andrighetto gave the Avs the lead off a rebound of a shot by J.T. Compher with 1:28 left that stunned a sold-out Nashville crowd that had expected to celebrate advancing to the second round.”We’ve got a series again going home, and it’s going to be exciting,” Landeskog said. ”As we talked about before tonight, just to win one. We don’t have to win three in one night.”This was not only Hammond’s first playoff victory, it was his first postseason start since April 17, 2015, with Ottawa and just the third of his career. He started only one game during the regular season after being traded to Colorado in November.”You never know when you’re going to get a second chance,” Hammond said. ”I’ve played two games basically since the start of January – at times it felt as though that day would never come again when you’re going to play again. You keep battling in practice, you stick to the process, when you get your chance, you’re ready.”Colorado coach Jared Bednar said he loved Hammond’s demeanor since learning he would be starting.”He’s waited a long time this year for this opportunity, and he’s making the most of it,” Bednar said.The series winner will face Winnipeg in the second round.Nick Bonino scored for Nashville.This game was scoreless until Bonino’s goal with 9:42 left http://www.officialkings.com/authentic-adidas-dustin-brown-jersey , a big change for a series that had been the highest-scoring of the first round averaging 7.25 goals per game coming into Game 5.The Predators peppered Hammond, and the only time Nashville beat him was when Mattias Ekholm’s shot bounced off his left pad and went in off Bonino’s right skate. The official on the spot immediately waved it off. Officials huddled, then reviewed the play.During the review, fans sang ”Let It Be” while holding up their cellphones with the flash on. Referee Kevin Pollock announced the call on the ice had been overturned , starting a long-awaited celebration.The lead didn’t last long as the Avs rallied.”It’s not like we didn’t have opportunities,” Nashville coach Peter Laviolette said. ”They did a pretty good job in front of him. We had lots of looks, lots of opportunities. We couldn’t get in.”The Avalanche came into the postseason with goalie Semyon Varlamov and defenseman Erik Johnson sidelined by knee injuries, then defenseman Samuel Girard missed three games with his own upper-body injury before Jonathan Bernier, Varlamov’s backup, suffered his own lower-body injury. That pushed the Hamburglar into the net.The Predators started and ended the second period on the power play but couldn’t beat Hammond. Their best scoring chance came with a 4-on-2, but Hammond stopped Roman Josi’s shot and then handled Calle Jarnkrok’s attempt off the rebound at 12:36. Hammond also made a big pad save on Ellis’ slap shot and then stopped another Josi shot late in the period.NOTES: The Avalanche snapped a seven-game skid in Nashville with the win. They ended a 12-game skid to the Preds overall in Game 3. … Nashville had been perfect last postseason with a chance to clinch a series on its own ice, winning all three series to reach the Stanley Cup Final. … Predators forward Ryan Hartman sat out his suspension for a hit on Carl Soderberg in Game 4.UP NEXTGame 6 in Denver on Sunday night.— DENVER (AP) Colton Sissons and Filip Forsberg each scored twice, backup goaltender Juuse Saros stopped 33 shots and the Nashville Predators became the first NHL team to clinch a playoff spot this season by beating the Colorado Avalanche 4-2 on Friday night.The streaking Predators are 13-0-1 in their last 14 games and haven’t lost in regulation since Feb. 17 against Detroit.Nathan MacKinnon and Gabriel Landeskog had the goals for an Avalanche team that returned home after earning two straight road wins, including Thursday in St. Louis. The loss snapped Colorado’s string of nine straight games with a point. The squad still remains in the thick of the playoff chase.Semyon Varlamov turned back 24 shots as he started both games of a back-to-back for the first time this season.CAPITALS 6, ISLANDERS 3WASHINGTON (AP) – T.J. Oshie, Nicklas Backstrom and Matt Niskanen scored as Washington swept a home-and-home set against slumping New York.Alex Chiasson had a goal and two assists for the Capitals, who hammered the Islanders 7-3 in New York on Thursday. Jakub Vrana’s goal gave Washington a 5-1 lead with 9:04 remaining. Lars Eller added an empty-netter, and Braden Holtby made 22 saves.Washington broke a tie with idle Pittsburgh for sole possession of first place in the Metropolitan Division. The Capitals’ four-game winning streak is their longest since taking five in a row from Dec. 28 to Jan. 9.Evgeny Kuznetsov, Washington’s second-leading scorer Jake Muzzin Jersey , left in the second period and did not return after sustaining an upper-body injury.Holtby, the 2016 Vezina Trophy winner as the NHL’s top goaltender, had lost seven of eight and did not play in the previous four games.Mathew Barzal, Brock Nelson and John Tavares scored for the Islanders, who have lost 10 of 11.WILD 4, GOLDEN KNIGHTS 2LAS VEGAS (AP) – Jason Zucker, the only NHL player raised in Nevada, scored a goal and assisted on another to lead Minnesota over Vegas.The Wild, who had lost two in a row and four of seven, completed a 3-0 season sweep of the Pacific Division leaders. Charlie Coyle, Matt Dumba and Zach Parise also scored for the Wild, and Alex Stalock stopped 26 shots.Erik Haula and Ryan Carpenter scored for the Golden Knights, who dropped to 24-9-2 at home and have lost four straight in T Mobile Arena.Marc-Andre Fleury, who fell to 2-8-0 in 10 starts against the Wild, made 26 saves. It was the first time Fleury lost back-to-back games in regulation this season.DUCKS 4, RED WINGS 2ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) – Corey Perry scored a tiebreaking goal late in the second period, John Gibson made 28 saves and Anaheim defeated skidding Detroit.Nick Ritchie, Derek Grant and Ryan Kesler each had a goal for the Ducks Jeff Carter Jersey , tied with Los Angeles for third place in the Pacific Division. Anaheim has 84 points – also the same amount as Colorado and Dallas, which hold the two wild-card spots in the Western Conference.Gustav Nyquist scored in his third straight game for the Red Wings, who lost their ninth in a row to match their longest slide since dropping nine straight in February 1986. Mike Green also had a goal and Jimmy Howard made 32 saves in Detroit’s eighth consecutive road loss.SHARKS 7, FLAMES 4CALGARY, Alberta (AP) – Evander Kane scored four goals to lead San Jose past Calgary.Tomas Hertl had a goal and an assist for the Sharks, who have won three straight and four of five. Kevin Lebanc and Eric Fehr also scored, and Martin Jones made 30 saves.It was the first NHL hat trick for Kane, acquired from Buffalo just before the Feb. 26 trade deadline.Micheal Ferland had a goal and an assist for the Flames, who are four points out of a playoff spot. Troy Brouwer, Mark Jankowski and Johnny Gaudreau also scored for Calgary.Three nights after stopping all 28 shots he faced against the Oilers, Calgary goalie Mike Smith had a rough outing as he made just 14 saves before being replaced by David Rittich early in the third period.SENATORS 3, STARS 2, OTOTTAWA, Ontario (AP) – Mike Hoffman scored at 3:26 of overtime and Ottawa beat Dallas to win its third game in a row for just the second time this season.Marian Gaborik and Matt Duchene also scored for the Senators, and Craig Anderson made 23 saves. Ottawa won on home ice for the first time since Feb. 17.Tyler Seguin and Tyler Pitlick had the goals for the Stars. Ben Bishop, who stopped 22 shots, made his first start since missing five games with a knee injury sustained March 5 against the Senators. Bishop has a 9-0-4 career record against Ottawa.Dallas has lost four straight, its longest skid of the season.—