Predators Rally From In 3rd, Beat Colorado 5-3

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Cody Franson scored with 2:30 left, and the Nashville Predators beat the Colorado Avalanche 5-3 Saturday night for their second straight victory and third in four games.

The Avalanche have lost seven straight - including two since Peter Forsberg rejoined the team - for their longest skid since the franchise relocated to Colorado for the 1995-96 season.

Martin Erat had a goal and two assists, David Legwand added a goal and an assist for Nashville, and Patric Hornqvist and Shea Weber scored a goal apiece. Mike Fisher had an assist on Legwand's empty-net goal in his debut for Nashville.

Forsberg took two shots and played 17 minutes, 32 seconds. But the 37-year-old Swede also was called for two penalties in the second period. Matt Duchene scored in the third, Kevin Porter had a goal and an assist, and David Jones also had a goal for Colorado.

The Avalanche led 1-0 and 3-2 with the last lead coming when Duchene scored his 21st on a slap shot from the left circle to put Colorado ahead 3-2 at 2:54 of the third. But Nashville tied it when Hornqvist took a pass from Legwand and scored his 17th with a wrister past Peter Budaj's glove at 4:11.

Franson then scored the winner, snapping off a shot at the blue line that went through Budaj's legs and provided a victory in a game Nashville outshot Colorado 39-18.

The Predators opened up as if trying to pick up where they left off in winning 4-1 at Detroit on Wednesday. Nashville was outshot 10-4 in the first period, but Porter put Colorado up 1-0 at 11:05 when he took a pass from Paul Stastny and backhanded it past Pekka Rinne.

Weber answered 11 seconds later.

Nashville went ahead 2-1 when Erat scored on the power play at 4:36 of the second. He went to the crease and kept poking away until he pushed the puck past Budaj. Avalanche coach Joe Sacco took a timeout at 6:25 of the second, with Nashville outshooting Colorado 17-6, to give Budaj a break.

It worked as Jones got the puck near the end boards and carried the puck toward the net. He wristed a shot past Rinne's left skate at 9:13 to tie it 2-2.

Forsberg had a shot on goal during Colorado's first power play in the second period, but he was called for interference. He later for hooked center Nick Spaling. Forsberg looked winded as he sat in the penalty box after the second infraction.

Notes: Nashville notched its ninth sellout this season. ... Weber has six goals and 14 assists in his last 20 games and three goals and three assists in the past seven. ... Nashville, with the NHL's third-stingiest, penalty-killing unit, has allowed only one goal in its last 23 short-handed situations. ... Colorado D Adam Foote missed a third straight game with a leg injury. ... The Avalanche are 3-6 in the second half of back-to-back games. ... The franchise record for consecutive losses is a 14-game skid between Oct. 21 and Nov. 19, 1990, when the Avalanche were the Quebec Nordiques.