Canucks take command

NASHVILLE — The Vancouver Canucks completed a Tennessee two-step Thursday night and are now just one win away from a spot in the National Hockey League’s Western Conference final.
Ryan Kesler,rift gold for the second straight game, scored the winner at 7:28 of the third period as the Canucks beat the Nashville Predators 4-2 to grab a 3-1 lead in their best-of-seven playoff series. The Canucks will try to end the series when Game 5 is played Saturday at Rogers Arena.
Kesler’s goal came four minutes after the Canucks had blown yet another third-period lead.
Nashville defenceman Cody Franson put a long shot through the legs of Vancouver goalie Roberto Luongo at 3:27 of the third to tie the game 2-2, but Kesler scored the winner on a brilliant individual effort when he took a pass with speed from Henrik Sedin in the neutral zone, split Nashville defencemen Shea Weber and Shane O’Brien and put a wrist shot low to the stick side past Pekka Rinne.
The goal came on a Vancouver power play with Nashville defenceman Ryan Suter off serving a holding penalty on Kesler. That’s two straight games Kesler has scored the winner on the power play after drawing a penalty.
Sedin added an emptynetter at 19:39 to seal the win.
The Canucks had to withstand an early flurry by the Predators, who started the game with lots of jump. Nashville’s momentum didn’t last long.
Vancouver got an early power play when Nashville defenceman Kevin Klein was sent off for a crosscheck on Chris Higgins at the 4:01 mark. The Canucks managed only one shot during the power play, but had two other opportunities blocked.
The Canucks opened the scoring at 15:04 of the first when defenceman Christian Ehrhoff put a long shot high to the stick side past a screened Rinne. Henrik and Daniel Sedin earned assists on the goal.
But the Predators got that one back on a power play at the 19:18 mark. Luongo stopped Joel Ward’s tip of a Franson point shot, but Ward knocked home the rebound. The goal came with defenceman Sami Salo off serving a delay-of-game minor.
Shots were 11-6 in Vancouver’s favour in the first period.
Alex Edler scored the only goal of the second period as the Canucks grabbed a 2-1 lead after two periods. The goal, Edler’s second of the playoffs, came on a rather strange play.
Ehrhoff had the puck behind the Nashville net and just threw the puck in front. It sailed out near the blue-line where it hit the stick of Kesler and bounced to Edler, whose long shot eluded Rinne.
The Canucks certainly deserved the lead. They dominated the second period, much the way they did the first. The Canucks had a 21-13 edge in shots after 40 minutes.
The Predators couldn’t even generate a decent scoring chance during a 47-second five-on-three power play with about five minutes left in the second.
Salo returned to the Canucks lineup after missing four games with an undisclosed lower-body injury. Keith Ballard,rift gold Andrew Alberts, Jeff Tambellini and Victor Oreskovich were all healthy scratches for the Canucks.
The Predators played without injured winger Steve Sullivan, who will miss the rest of the series with an apparent knee injury. Colin Wilson took his spot in the lineup.
They also lost centre Jerred Smithson in the first period. He suffered a head injury when he was elbowed by Kesler.