NEWS » e Rockets made 16 of 34 3-pointers and domin

EDMONTON - Being in the Western Conference doesnt make life easy for the Edmonton Oilers.Craig Smith had a pair of goals as the Nashville Predators bounced back from their first regulation loss of the season, defeating the Oilers 4-1 on Wednesday.Taylor Hall scored the lone goal for the Oilers (4-5-1), who have yet to defeat a fellow Western Conference team this season.We are in the west and we have to find a way to beat the western teams, said Ryan Nugent-Hopkins. A lot of the western teams play a different style than they do in the east, but we are not getting out of this conference and we dont want to. I know we can play with them and we just have to find a way to beat them. There is no need to panic right now.Its unfortunate we cant beat teams in our division, added Hall. We get zero points and they get two and get a leg up on us. Its tough. Tonight wasnt really an effort that deserved two points, but at times during the game it was there to be taken. Unfortunately, we gave up a lead and couldnt get it back.Shea Weber and Taylor Beck also scored for the Predators (6-1-2), who started a six-game road trip off on solid footing.We came in here and did a pretty good job, Weber said. Thats a hot team, they had won four in a row. We knew we had to be ready. We didnt get a call early on and we stuck with it. The second period wasnt our best, but we got a couple of goals there and were able to get one early in the third and put them out of it.Smith said his line was influenced by the return of Matt Cullen to the Predators lineup.I think our line played well and I think our unit was able to create some turnovers and use our speed to make plays, he said. Cullen getting back in the lineup, I thought he was outstanding tonight, moving his feet well, I didnt think he missed a stride. I thought we played well tonight and were able to get a win.Edmonton caught a huge break just a minute-and-a-half in as Nashville had a goal waved off — the third time in the past five games an Oilers opponent has had a goal disallowed. Nashvilles Smith poked a puck into the net from under the glove of Oilers goalie Ben Scrivens, but the ref was quick to call the goal off, and the decision stood up after video review.The reasoning I got was that in the referees view the goaltender had made a save and when Craig came in with the second push, he was in the process of blowing the whistle, said Nashville coach Peter Laviolette. So I think it was because in their view the original save was made and he was blowing the whistle on that. Its not like it was loose puck.Nashville also came close five minutes into the opening period when Anton Volchenkov rang a shot off the post.The Predators controlled the bulk of the play in the first period, with 11 shots on Scrivens to Edmontons three on Pekka Rinne in the Nashville net.Video review was called upon again 19 seconds into the second period when Edmonton fans thought that Nugent-Hopkins had scored from the top of the circle on Rinne, but it was quickly determined he had hit the crossbar.Smith finally broke the scoring open for Nashville six minutes into the second period as a rebound landed on his stick and he tucked it in the net for his second of the season.The Predators made it 2-0 a minute-and-a-half later as Colin Wilson spotted Beck get away from defender Brad Hunt and hit him on the fly for a goal into a wide-open net.Webers rocket from the point added to Nashvilles lead just 24 seconds into the third period. The play was set up when a turnover in the Oilers zone went back to Weber.The Oilers tried to get back into the game a couple minutes later as Justin Schultz blazed into the zone and attempted a wrap-around, but Rinne was quick to get across and make the save.Hall ended Rinnes shutout bid with 11 minutes left to play. A big rebound on a Nugent-Hopkins shot came to Hall, who buried his sixth of the season.The Predators regained their three-goal cushion with just under eight minutes to play as Cullen made a perfect pass on a two-on-one to Smith for his second of the night.The Predators win was punctuated by a monster hit on Hall by former Windsor Spitfires teammate Ryan Ellis, who caught him trying to split the defence.I dont know what I was doing there, Hall said. He had probably seen me do that a bunch of times in junior. I should know better than to try that on him. I havent been hit like that in a long time.The Predators next game is on Friday in Calgary against the Flames. The Oilers conclude their season-high seven-game homestand on Saturday against the Vancouver Canucks.Notes: It was the first of three games between the two teams this season, with the other two scheduled to take place in Nashville…. Edmonton swept the three-game series last year and has had a fair amount of success against the Predators in recent years. The Oilers came into the game having gone 9-4-1 in their last 14 games against Nashville… The game was the start of a six-game road trip for the Predators as they vacate town for the annual hosting of the Country Music Association Awards. Nashville went 2-4-1 during last seasons CMA trip… The game marked the seasonal debut of Predators forward Matt Cullen, who missed the first eight games of the season with an upper-body injury. He will play left wing on a line with centre Derek Roy and right wing Craig Smith. Cullen, 37, is in his second season with the Predators, scoring 10 goals and 29 assists after signing with Nashville as a free agent last season. To make room for Cullen on the roster, Rich Clune was assigned to the Milwaukee Admirals of the American Hockey League… Oilers defenceman Nikita Nikitin missed his second straight game with back spasms… Edmontons 2014 third overall draft pick Leon Draisaitl played his 10th game, activating the first year of his entry level deal. Doug Kotar Jersey . -- Golden State Warriors reserve centre Ognjen Kuzmic is expected to miss at least six weeks after undergoing surgery on his fractured right hand. Doug Kotar Youth Jersey . Bale has had a successful debut season in Spain, and Ancelotti appears ready to reward him with a starting role on Saturday. Ancelotti says "Gareth had some problems at the beginning (of the season) but when he found good physical condition he scored a lot of goals, he had a good impact on the team. http://www.giantsrookiestore.com/Giants-...-Jersey/.Before a raucous sellout crowd, the Hawks won for the 29th time in 31 games to extend their Eastern-best record to 36-8.As usual, pretty much everyone chipped in.Four starters were in double figures and backup point guard Dennis Schroder led a spurt at the start of the fourth quarter that helped the Hawks pull away. Julian Love Womens Jersey . Its other five picks were all six foot or better, with three at 6-1 or above. Third-round pick Brett Lernout stands six foot four and weighs 206 pounds. Daniel Jones Jersey . -- Aaron Rodgers isnt out for revenge in Green Bays season opener.PHILADELPHIA - James Harden had 35 points and nine rebounds and Dwight Howard added 11 points and 14 rebounds to lead the Houston Rockets past the Philadelphia 76ers 104-93 on Monday night.Trevor Ariza hit six 3-pointers and scored 24 points to help Houston improve to 4-0. The Rockets made 16 of 34 3-pointers and dominated the Sixers 47-31 on the boards.Harden made his first 17 free throws and the Rockets had assists on 27 of 32 field goals.Tony Wroten led the winless Sixers (0-4) with 20 points and K.J. McDaniels had 14.Ariza picked up in Philadelphia where he left off in March when he scored a career-high 40 points and spoiled Allen Iversons jersey retirement celebration night. Playing for Washington, Ariza made all six 3-point attempts in the first quarter for 24 points and finished 14 of 23 from the floor overall.He was nearly as potent for Houston in the first. Without a hand in his face, Ariza buried open shots from the corner and the Sixers made no attempt to stick a defender on him. He made all four 3s, scored 14 points and helped the Rockets race to a 13-point lead. Ariza was 5 of 6 on 3s for 19 points by halftime and helped push the Rockets lead to 55-54.The Sixers have put wins on the farthest back burner this season and are focused more on player development — and those high draft picks dangled as bait for all the losing.Noel is one of the projected cornerstones and he dazzled at times in the first half. Noel had four steals, stripping Howard on one possession, and five assists in the first half. But Noel, the 6-foot-11 rookie centre, failed to grab a rebound until there was 2:40 left in thee game.ddddddddddddNoel ended the third with a leaping, one-handed stuff of James Hardens two-handed dunk attempt that brought the crowd to its feet.He picked off a bounce pass near Houstons 3-point line and soared home with a dunk early in the fourth to cut it to 80-76. The fun wouldnt last long. Noel, who made a brief pit stop in the locker room, was on the bench for a chunk of the fourth and trainers worked on his right hand and wrist.The Sixers havent been a total loss this season, playing competitive ball for the first three quarters in four games. Theyve hit a wall in the fourth when opponents pick up their pace of play and take over. This Sixers team simply is not talented or deep enough to pull off a win against a contender like Houston.Hardens third 3-pointer built a cushion late in the fourth and Isaiah Canaan followed with his own from the corner for a 93-84 lead. Canaans next 3 gave the Rockets a 10-point lead and they put away the pesky Sixers for good.TIP INS:Rockets: Houston played without guard Patrick Beverley (hamstring). ... Howard was a game time decision with a knee injury. ... The Rockets led by as many as 16.76ers: The Sixers will kick off their Stars and Stripes military program with a Tuesday practice for service members at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst. ... Sixers centre Henry Sims did not start for the first time this season as he battled an illness. ... The Sixers had one lead all game. ... McDaniels was 3 of 4 on 3s and the Sixers went 11 for 22.UP NEXTRockets: Houston plays Tuesday at Miami.76ers: Philadelphia is home Wednesday against the Orlando Magic. ' ' '