Canucks edge Preds in shootout
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Nashville, TN (SportsNetwork.com) - Nick Bonino scored the winner in the shootout to lead the Vancouver Canucks to a 5-4 win over the Nashville Predators on Tuesday.
Bonino made a bunch of moves before sneaking in a forehand, and Eddie Lack stopped Filip Forsberg on Nashville's second chance. Radim Vrbata then sealed the win by lifting in a backhand.
Alexandre Burrows had a goal and an assist while Linden Vey, Chris Higgins and Jannik Hansen all scored for the Canucks, who have won their past two. Lack finished with 34 saves.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"The guys battled the whole night, there were lots of really good things out of this game," said Canucks coach Willie Desjardins.
Vancouver has 95 points on the season and holds a four-point lead over Calgary for the second spot in the Pacific Division.
Mike Fisher had a goal and an assist and Viktor Stalberg, Taylor Beck and Cody Franson all scored for the Predators, who have lost their past two. Pekka Rinne turned away 21 shots.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Nashville, which has already clinched a playoff spot, leads St. Louis by four points for first place in the Central Division and trails Anaheim by two points for the overall lead in the NHL.
Nashville took a 3-2 lead into the third period when Stalberg skated down the right wing and snapped a wrister in off the left shoulder of Lack with 29.4 seconds to play in the second.
Vancouver, though, tied the game shorthanded 1:23 into the third as Burrows finished off a clean break with a shot between Rinne's pads.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Skating on the power play, the Canucks made it a 4-3 game with a crisp play that saw Higgins finish it off down low at 5:48.
Nashville, though, tied the game with 5:03 to play on the power play as the puck wound up in front of the net and Bonino tried to clear it, but the disc hit off Fisher and found its way in.
Burrows was handed a major and misconduct for a collision with Paul Gaustad with 3:54 to play, but the Predators were unable to take advantage of the extended power play during the rest of regulation and the carry-over time in overtime.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"I was surprised it was a five-minute penalty, but the boys battled hard and we got a huge win tonight," said Burrows.
Franson scored on the power play at 4:30 of the opening period, and Beck added a goal less than four minutes later to give the Predators a 2-0 lead.
Vancouver got goals from Vey and Hansen exactly two minutes apart early in the second to tie the game.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Game Notes
Nashville went 2-for-7 on the power play, while Vancouver went 1-for-3 ... The Predators host the Stars on Saturday ... Vancouver plays in Chicago on Thursday ... Bonino and Dan Hamhuis each posted two assists.