NEWS » nd get a shot off, Ekholm said. It wasnt t

St. Paul, MN (SportsNetwork.com) - Mattias Ekholm scored the game-winning goal 1:45 into overtime to lift the Nashville Predators to a 6-5 victory over the Minnesota Wild on Saturday. An extra session was needed after Minnesota pulled its netminder and Thomas Vanek tied the game with 47.8 seconds remaining. The Predators, however, did not let the two points slip away. Ekholm battled along the boards behind the Minnesota net, emerged with the puck and scored off a wrister from the right circle for the win. I was just trying to spin in front of the net and get a shot off, Ekholm said. It wasnt the hardest, but it went in so its huge. Craig Smith, Matt Cullen and Roman Josi each had a goal and an assist, while Calle Jarnkrok and Filip Forsberg also lit the lamp for the Predators, who have won four of their last five games. Pekka Rinne earned the win despite allowing a season-high five goals on 27 shots. Zach Parise finished with two goals and an assist in defeat. Vanek and Marco Scandella each tallied a goal and a helper and Jason Zucker also scored for the Wild, who dropped their third straight game. Its clearly not good enough, Wild head coach Mike Yeo said. You score five goals it should be automatic. Niklas Backstrom gave up three goals on 30 shots in relief of Darcy Kuemper, who stopped 11-of-14 shots during the first period. The Predators took a 4-3 lead 1:48 into the third period. Forsbergs initial shot deflected off Wild defenseman Ryan Suter. The rookie followed his rebound off the end boards and wristed a shot past the glove of Backstrom. Josis blast from the top of the left circle beat Backstrom on the power play to provide some breathing room for the Predators close to the midway point of the final stanza, but the Wild did not go away. Pominville sent a hard low shot on net and Parise was present in the slot to redirect it past Rinne for a 5-4 game with 9:14 remaining. The Wild pulled Backstrom with less than a minute to play. Rinne stopped Vaneks initial deflection of a Scandella blast, but couldnt control the rebound as the Wild tied the game with 47.8 seconds to play. Minnesota scored just 1:10 into the game on Zuckers quick shot, but Jarnkrok answered right back with a wrister of his own at 4:37. Two minutes later, Rinne stopped Charlie Coyles backhander from the slot, but the rebound bounced off Parises skate and into the back of the net to give the Wild a 2-1 edge. Victor Bartley skated below the goal line and slipped the puck to Cullen, who wristed the shot over Kuempers shoulder in tight for a tied score at 13:58 and Smiths backhander off a faceoff put the Predators up 3-2 with 1:46 to play in the first. The Wild took advantage of Mike Fishers double-minor high-sticking penalty. Scandella made it a 3-3 game after video replay confirmed that his rebound attempt crossed the goal line at 7:18 of the second. Game Notes Nashville improved to 10-3-3 in its last 16 games against Minnesota ... Wild forward Mikael Granlund (illness) was a late scratch ... Minnesota forward Matt Cooke returned to the lineup after missing 22 games with a hip flexor ... Suter finished with two assists and has eight over his last six games ... The Predators were without forward James Neal due to an illness. Javier Aquino Jersey . According the CSNBayArea.com, the 31-year-old suffered an ACL injury in his right knee on Friday when he collided with Anaheims Emerson Etem during a pre-season game. Alfredo Talavera Jersey . Poti played in 824 regular NHL games with four teams in his career; the Edmonton Oilers, New York Rangers, New York Islanders and the Washington Capitals. http://www.mexiconationalshop.us/Andres-...-Jersey-Soccer/. Niese pitched seven steady innings on a rainy Tuesday night and Daniel Murphy had three hits to lead New York to a 6-1 victory over the Phillies. Diego Reyes Jersey .com) - The Calgary Flames are spoilers once again. Mexico Jerseys . Hemsky left the Oilers Tuesday night loss to the Dallas Stars in the second period and did not return. Through 48 games this season, Hemsky has seven goals and a total of 24 points.TAMPA, Fla. - The Tampa Bay Rays couldnt resist adding Grant Balfour to solidify the back end of their bullpen, giving the closer a $12 million, two-year contract Thursday about a month after his $15 million agreement with Baltimore fell through. The Orioles said they had concerns with his physical. Balfour proclaimed hes healthy and looking forward to helping Tampa Bay get back to the playoffs. "Im 100 per cent healthy," Balfour said, adding he had more lucrative offers from other teams but was eager to play for a perennial contender and return to the Tampa Bay area, where he still resides after spending time with the Rays from 2007-10. "Ive had an eventful off-season to say the least," he said. "Its always been a place on my radar. Ill be honest, I never wanted to leave here." Rays principal owner Stuart Sternberg made the announcement at a news conference held following a team sponsorship event at the Tampa Museum of Art. He called it a significant move for the budget-minded Rays, who have made the playoffs four times in the past six seasons despite one of the lowest payrolls in baseball. Sternberg noted the team did not enter the off-season expecting to be in a position to pursue the 36-year-old, who was 62 for 67 in save opportunities the past two seasons with the Oakland Athletics. &quuot;Weve have had some exceptional teams," Sternberg said, explaining the decision to spend above the teams projected payroll.dddddddddddd"We want to give this organization the best chance to win, and we know its going to cost us more than we can afford to pay." In his first stint with the Rays, Balfour was part of an improbable run to the 2008 World Series, where Tampa Bay lost to Philadelphia in six games. Sternberg called him a "known quantity" for the Rays. Manager Joe Maddon added the signing will make an already impressive bullpen even more formidable. "He wants to go back to the World Series," Maddon said. "So do we, so do I." Balfour was a first-time All-Star in 2013, when he had a 1.63 ERA while going 25 for 25 in save opportunities the first half of the season. The right-handers 383 appearances, 380 1-3 innings and 410 strikeouts over the past six years are the second-most among AL relievers. Hes first Australian-born pitcher to make an All-Star team and has been a part of five teams that made the playoffs, including two with Tampa Bay. "I want to win a World Series," he said. "We got really close here in 2008, and Im really hoping here in the next two years, or whatever it is I get to play here, that I can win one it would be awesome." ' ' '