News » Smiths goal gave him a career-high 15 this season

NASHVILLE -- The Colorado Avalanche and goalie Semyon Varlamov are playing so well this season that theyre even winning in Music City. Isaiah Oliver Jersey . Nick Holden scored two goals and had an assist and the Avalanche held off the Nashville Predators 5-4 Saturday night for their fourth straight victory. Jan Hejda, Gabriel Landeskog and Matt Duchene each scored a goal for Colorado, which is 8-1-1 over its past 10 games. The Avalanche earned their first win in Nashville since Jan. 6, 2009, ending a 0-6-1 skid. Colorado centre Paul Stastny said they did a good job surviving late, with the key jumping out to a 3-0 lead in the first. "Getting it to 3-0 was important for us especially in the past not doing well here," Stastny said. "Knowing we have a new team, new coach and new mentality I think we forgot about playing here and a fresh start for us." Varlamov made 27 saves and improved to 11-0-5 in his past 16 games, tying the Avalanche record for consecutive games without a regulation loss. The Predators scored three straight goals after trailing 5-1 in the third, and Roman Josis goal at 17:03 gave them a chance to force overtime. But Varlamov stopped a flurry in the final minutes, including shots from Josi and Mike Fisher for the win. "Its not important how the game ends," Colorado coach Patrick Roy said. "Its the result at the end. We won the game." Patric Hornqvist, Craig Smith and Ryan Ellis also scored for Nashville, which snapped a two-game winning streak. Devan Dubnyk struggled in his Nashville debut after the Predators swapped forward Matt Hendricks to Edmonton for the goalie Wednesday. "He got nervous and was rusty," Nashville coach Barry Trotz said. "I know Dubnyk has been in the league a long time, and Ive seen a lot better games from him. But it was his first game. We gave him very little support early, and it just looked like he was nervous after that." Colorado took control from the start with three goals in the first 12:05 with Holden beating Dubnyk with a wrister from the left circle off a rebound at 6:21 in the first. Then the Avalanche scored twice 38 seconds apart with Hejda beating Dubnyk with a slap shot through traffic at 11:27, then Landeskog scored on a one-timer from the right circle at 12:05. Trotz then took his timeout for Nashville. The Predators got on the board in the second after Landeskog elbowed Ellis high, drawing a penalty. Erik Johnson drew a roughing penalty when he fought with Paul Gaustad, giving Nashville a 5-on-3 advantage for 2 minutes. Hornqvist scored on a tip-in 35 seconds later in pulling Nashville within 3-1, but the Avalanche killed off the rest of the power play. The Predators thought they beat the buzzer with a slap shot from captain Shea Weber only to see officials waive it off because the clock expired before the puck crossed the line. Holden scored his fourth goal of the season and second of the game on a slap shot at 2:31 of the third with the puck going in off Dubnyks left skate. Holden then had the primary assist on Duchenes power-play goal at 6:31, which wound up as the game winner. The defenceman credited his Colorado teammates for his big night. "I think every game someone else is stepping up," Holden said. "Weve gone through a lot of injuries. Its showed the adversity of our team here to battle through it. Every night is a different guy, and tonight it was luckily me." The Predators tried to rally as Smith added a goal at 8:14 tapping in the puck behind Varlamov. Then Ellis scored on a slap shot from the point at 12:45, and Josis goal gave Nashville a chance. But even with Dubnyk pulled, they couldnt beat Varlamov again. "We just didnt win enough battles in the beginning," Josi said. Notes: Peter Budaj went 13-0-3 in a 16-game span between Feb. 24 and April 5, 2007, for Colorado. ... Stastny, Nathan MacKinnon and John Mitchell each had two assists. ... Stastny had missed the past two games with a leg injury. ... The Predators have allowed at least three goals in 28 games this season. ... Nashville has five goals on the man advantage in the past three games and came into the game sixth in the NHL on the power play. ... Smiths goal gave him a career-high 15 this season. Brett Favre Jersey . The (35-35-10) Jets have 80 points and are also playing .500 hockey on home ice this season with a 17-17-6 record. Michael Hutchinson will start his second straight game in goal. Ito Smith Jersey . The Raptors had an early deadline Sunday, a dreaded afternoon game, and they left the bulk of their work until the last minute, as theyve done so many times before. http://www.cheapatlantafalconsjerseys.com/deadrin-senat-jersey/ . 1 goaltender tonight when they conclude a four-game road trip versus the Winnipeg Jets.SAO PAULO - Brazil goalkeeper Julio Cesar said Tuesday he arrives for the World Cup at home a lot more prepared than he was four years ago, when his mistake played a part in the teams elimination in South Africa. Cesar said the difficulties he went through after the 2010 World Cup helped him become "a better professional" and made him "more focused" on his career. He admitted that he took things for granted before the World Cup in South Africa, when he arrived considered the worlds top goalkeeper. The 34-year-old Cesar said he joined Toronto FC because it was the only team that wanted him, but said his preparations were not affected by playing in a less-traditional league. He called his time with Toronto "excellent" and said he is "100 per cent" ready. "I arrive a lot more prepared than I was four years ago," Cesar said at Brazils training centre in Teresopolis, outside Rio de Janeiro. "During bad times you have to try to find some positive things, and I did. It wasnt only the elimination against the Netherlands, I also had to deal with problems at Inter Milan and then at Queens Park Rangers. I needed to find a lot of strength to come back." Cesar failed to clear a cross during Brazils quarterfinal against the Netherlands in 2010. That led to the equalizer for the Dutch, which eventually went on to beat the South Americans 2-1. Cesar said he thought about quitting football at the time, and things only got worse after he faced problems both at Inter Milan and then at Queens Park Rangers, where he was sidelined and played sparingly. Wholesale Falcons Jerseys. "I became a better professional after the 2010 World Cup," he said. "When things are going your way, you end up relaxing a little bit more. I was very confident in 2010 because of everything that had happened until then, and I think that too much confidence can hurt. Now I can say that from personal experience." Although Brazil coach Luiz Felipe Scolari named Cesar the World Cup starter long time ago, many still consider the goalkeeper the weakest link in Brazils squad, especially because of his lack of play in recent months. "I dont think there is pressure," he said. "I know many people are questioning me and why I was selected, but the coaches have the confidence in my game and I know that I can add a lot to this group." Cesar conceded nine goals in seven matches with Toronto in the run-up to the World Cup, but said he was able to take advantage of the time he spent in Major League Soccer. "My preparations were excellent, I feel Im 100 per cent ready for the World Cup," Cesar said. "Toronto was the only team that opened its doors for me. I talked to several clubs, including in Brazil, and the negotiations were not successful, many times because of the salaries here. But I knew I had to be playing so I could arrive well psychologically, it would have been hard if I hadnt been playing anywhere." ___ Follow Tales Azzoni at http://twitter.com/tazzoni Cheap Hawks Jerseys Cheap Celtics Jerseys Cheap Nets Jerseys Cheap Hornets Jerseys Cheap Bulls Jerseys Cheap Cavaliers Jerseys Cheap Mavericks Jerseys Cheap Nuggets Jerseys Cheap Pistons Jerseys Cheap Warriors Jerseys Cheap Rockets Jerseys Cheap Pacers Jerseys Cheap Clippers Jerseys Cheap Lakers Jerseys Cheap Grizzlies Jerseys ' ' '