Canucks to return home with lead predators 3-1

Ryan Kesler seems to want to wear the Vancouver Canucks in the Western Conference final almost alone.

Kesler broke a tie with a goal of power play at 7: 28 of the third period for his second game-winner right and the Canucks beat the Predators for Nashville 4-2 Thursday night to seize a 3-1 lead in the series-of-seven.

Kesler has now six points in helping the Canucks to win the two games in Nashville.

"For the moment, it is their best player bar none," coach Nashville Barry Trotz said.

Winners of the Kesler goals coming on power game, he set up by drawing penalties.

He won game 3 in overtime after a drawing on Weber hooking penalty. This time, Ryan Suter Nashville defender was called for after he put an arm around the neck of the Kesler and took him down, and he celebrated his clinching goal by erecting two arms in the air.

"It was a great escape on the power play," said Canucks coach Alain Vigneault. "It was an incredible goal by a player which will be to win right now, he is very strong, and it is very hard competition."

Now, the Canucks to return home for the fifth game Saturday night with a chance of winning, which is what they set out to do when they flew to Nashville last Sunday.

Canucks de Vancouver Centre scores Ryan Kesler (17) against the Stanley Cup goalkeeper Predators of Nashville Pekka Rinne of the Finland, in the third period of game 4 of a second round of NHL playoff hockey, Thursday 5 May 2011 in Nashville, Tennessee (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey) near

"Absolutely, it's why we came here," Canucks left, said Daniel Sedin. "" "". Every game was close, but I think that we had the top shots and the chances of scoring, too, so we feel good than ourselves. ?

Christian Ehrhoff scored a power play goal and made two decisive passes, Kesler was also two assists and Alexander Edler was a goal. Henrik Sedin notched its first points of the series with two assists and an empty-net goal with 20.6 seconds left.

Joel Ward and Cody Franson each had a goal and one assist for Nashville, which lost consecutive games for the first time this postseason. The predators have won in previous elimination in five playoff games.

"It is a difficult position for to make us, but it is certainly not by any means," Nashville Captain Shea Weber said.

If predators are a chance to rally, they need to get more. Vancouver outshot their once second straight game and third in this series, 28-21, and the Canucks also killed 47 seconds of a 5-on-3 in the second period ended 2-1.

Trotz had a waiting time before the 5-on-3 began, but he did not help that predators would not attack Roberto Luongo in him throwing more pucks.

"We refused to do so," said Trotz.

Predators also missed another key scoring chance early in the second. Luongo lost his stick after the judgment of a vortex on the net. Nashville finally got the puck must only be called for offsides at 8: 40 of the second, giving Luongo pause to capture his stick in the extreme corner. The Canucks returned to the right and went 2-1 when Edler sheared off a slap shot close to the blue line through traffic past Pekka Rinne at 9: 43.

Ehrhoff conditioned Vancouver 1-0, with 4: 56 left in the first, but Nashville he associated with his first goal to play this series. Franson fired a shot that Luongo blocked with his pad and Ward Engelage it through the legs of goalie with 41.6 seconds.

Franson he related at 3: 27 of the third, snapping a shot itself in the legs of the Luongo for his first goal of the playoffs. The lead has no standing long.