ne-timer, so it was nice to see it go in.Hu

NASHVILLE, Tenn. - James Neal made sure Barry Trotzs homecoming was not a happy one.Neal scored twice, including the go-ahead goal with 1:40 left, and the Nashville Predators beat the Washington Capitals 4-3 on Friday night for their fifth straight victory.They are dynamic off the rush and they are a strong power-play team, said Peter Laviolette, who replaced Trotz as Nashvilles coach this season. So, we were able to control the rush a little bit. The power play was able to get off a couple goals tonight, but they are a lot to handle.Seth Jones and Mattias Ekholm had the other goals for the Predators, who fired Trotz at the end of last season. Trotz was the teams inaugural coach, leading Nashville through its first 15 NHL seasons before taking the job in Washington.During the first media timeout, a video tribute to Trotzs tenure behind the Nashville bench was played. The Winnipeg, Manitoba, native tapped his heart and waved to the capacity crowd as it gave him a standing ovation.The tribute, the class that the Predators continue to show, Im very proud to be a part of the organization for a long time, Trotz said.Alex Ovechkin scored twice and Marcus Johansson also had a goal for the Capitals, who had won three in a row. Washington had earned at least one point in nine consecutive games.Late in the third period, Neal forced a turnover by Matt Niskanen inside the Capitals blue line. Neal then walked in and slipped a shot between the pads of goalie Braden Holtby to give Nashville a 4-3 lead.He kind of went back against the grain, Holtby said. He made a good play.Jones scored the games first goal at 16:16 of the opening period.In the right circle, Calle Jarnkrok won a faceoff against Evgeny Kuznetsov back to Jones at the blue line. Jones moved slightly to his left before snapping a wrist shot through traffic that beat Holtby on the glove side.Neal scored at 1:50 of the second from right in front of Holtby off a shot that originated from Victor Bartley and then was deflected by Mike Fisher.Ovechkin scored a pair of goals 2:32 apart, with both coming from the left side.He connected at 3:46 on a one-timer from a tough angle at the lower part of the left circle off a pass from defenceman Karl Alzner.The Washington captain followed at 6:18 with a power-play goal that beat Nashville goalie Carter Hutton on the short side.Ovechkin has eight goals in his last nine games.Johanssons tally at 2:38 of the third gave Washington its second power-play goal of the game.Ekholm tied it at 15:31 with a one-timer from the top of the right circle on a late Nashville power play.We were kind of rolling a little bit and it was just a matter of time before we could get a goal again, Ekholm said. Just lined it up for a shot there and got the one-timer, so it was nice to see it go in.Hutton made 31 saves in his first home start of the season. He replaced Pekka Rinne, the NHL leader in wins with 29. Rinne sprained his knee in Tuesdays win against Vancouver and is expected to miss three to five weeks. The win was Huttons first of the season.Ive said many times now that I feel like Ive been confident in my game, Hutton said. Its obviously nice to get a home win here, especially with Pekks out. Big win for the guys confidence-wise.NOTES: Fisher has points in five consecutive games. ... Washington is 1-11-5 when its opponent scores first. ... Nashville is 9-4-0 against Eastern Conference teams. Brayden McNabb Jersey . He will just have to wait a little longer. Bester grabbed an early lead before Scotlands Darren Burnett took over and ran away with the mens singles lawn bowling final 21-9 on Friday. Max Pacioretty Jersey . This weeks Raptors Report puts a bow on Gays brief, 10-month tenure in Toronto and ponders how his absence will affect the teams offence. Are they a better team without him? In addition to acquiring some valuable cap flexibility, what impact will the four incoming players have this season and beyond? Click here for the Dec. http://www.goldenknightssale.com/authent...knights-jersey/. (AP) -- The head of the committee that developed Major League Baseballs plan to expand instant replay says he is optimistic the system will be in place this season, even though owners and unions for players and umpires have yet to approve. Brad Hunt Jersey .7 million, one-year contract, a raise of $2.2 million. Wieters had asked for $8.75 million and the Orioles had offered $6. Deryk Engelland Jersey . The top-ranked Spaniard won his fourth Madrid Open on Sunday after Kei Nishikori was forced to withdraw with a hip injury when trailing 2-6, 6-4, 3-0 in the final. And Nadal, who is coming off to uncharacteristic quarterfinal losses on clay, said his mental strength is still lacking just two weeks ahead of the French Open.ST. LOUIS -- St. Louis Cardinals ace Adam Wainwright will skip a turn in the rotation to allow tendinitis in the back of his pitching elbow to subside. The team expects the right-hander, 9-3 with a 2.15 ERA, to return next Saturday against the Phillies. If this were October, general manager John Mozeliak said, Wainwright would definitely take the ball. "I think this is more precautionary than anything else," Mozeliak said Saturday nights game against the Nationals. "It was something that we just didnt want to push if we didnt have to, and he agreed." A day earlier, Wainwright emphasized his surgically repaired ligament was structurally sound and that the inflamed area was very small. Wainwright, who missed the 2011 season, won 19 games for the second time in his career last year and won 21 games in 2010. Mozeliak said it hasnt been determined who will take Wainwrights spot on Monday night against the Mets. It wont be rehabbing lefty Tyler Lyons, who was due to pitch Saturday night. "Obviously we can sit here and triangulate who might get this opportunity, but we havvent spoken with anybody yet and the fact is it could change depending on how the next couple days go," Mozeliak said.dddddddddddd. "So its fluid." Wainwright said the elbow has been bothering him the past two starts, although it didnt affect his performance given he won both games and allowed two runs in 15 innings. In between those outings, the pitcher said the elbow was "very sore." So he told the training staff. Wainwright is tied for the National League lead with nine wins and was second in the NL with 100 1-3 innings, working at least seven innings in all but three of his 14 starts. He led the league with 241 2-3 innings last year and then tacked on another 35 innings for a team that lost to the Red Sox in the World Series. The curveball, his best pitch, puts extra stress on the elbow. Wainwright played catch inside earlier in the day and felt better, three days after receiving a cortisone injection, but Mozeliak said the right-hander understood the decision. Both the pitcher and team said a day earlier that it was prudent to take the long-term view. ' ' '