Coyotes, Predators Skate To Tie

Scott Walker was in the right place at the right time for the Nashville Predators.

Walker scored his 100th NHL point on a sixth-attacker goal with 21 seconds left in regulation as the Predators tied Phoenix 4-4 on Tuesday night. It was just his fifth goal after scoring a career-high 15 last season.

"Whenever the game's on the line, Scott's not a natural goal-scorer, but he scores by effort," Nashville center Cliff Ronning said. "He worked and dug that puck out of the goalie's pads to score the goal. It was huge."

Vitali Yachmenev scored through a maze of players in front of the goal to draw the Predators within one, and Walker poked a rebound past fallen goalie Sean Burke. Drake Berehowsky's shot deflected to Walker after hitting the post.

"I got a piece of it," Burke said. "After that I was just scrambling. They had two or three guys banging at it."

Burke gloved Ronning's slap shot in overtime to preserve the tie.

"We outskated them and we outchanced them near the end," Ronning said.

Trailing 3-0, the Predators scored twice in a 24-second second span midway through the second period. Randy Robitaille put a wrist shot past Burke, the first power-play goal allowed by Phoenix in six games. Mark Mowers than cranked a slap shot between Burke's pads from the top of the right circle.

"You can't let them back in the game, and we let them back in the game," Burke said.

"We had a pretty good lead there. I don't think we're very happy witsquandering it. But we knew they were playing well, they weren't going to give up."

Jeremy Roenick gave Phoenix a 4-2 lead with 11 seconds left in the period, stealing the puck from Robitaille at center ice and beating goalie Mike Dunham for a short-handed goal.

Phoenix, coming off a 2-0 loss Monday night in Denver, scored twice on its first five shots of the game.

Shane Doan scored his career-high 17th goal at 9:02, and Travis Green made it 2-0 at 10:35. Keith Tkachuk added his 19th goal with 1:33 left in the period.

"We had them down 3-0, we should have put them away," Tkachuk said. "When you're up 4-2 late in the game and you end up with a tie, it almost feels like a loss."

Tkachuk, Phoenix's captain, and Nashville captain Tom Fitzgerald are cousins. Both are from Melrose, Mass.

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