Sakic 3 Goals Gives Avs Tie

When the chips are down, the Colorado Avalanche can always rely on Joe Sakic.

Sakic's two goals in the final 5:55 of the third period enabled the Avalanche to escape with a 4-4 tie Friday against the Nashville Predators. He completed his seventh career hat trick on the tying goal with 1:23 left, his 28th of the season.

"Joe is an unbelievable player," said Peter Forsberg, who set up Sakic in front for the tying goal on the power play. "I love to play with him."

Since Sakic and Forsberg were put on the same line Dec. 2, they have combined for 26 goals and 40 assists and are a plus-29.

"This team relies a lot on our line, and we have to make sure we go out and do the job," Sakic said. "It's a total team effort, but we realize that our line has to do a lot as well with the players we have on it."

The Avalanche's league-high road winning streak still ended at seven games with the tie.

"We stole a point, basically," Adam Deadmarsh said. "They deserved to win the hockey game."

Coach Bob Hartley said of Sakic: "He was like the team. He had a slow start but he had a great finish."

Sakic pushed Forsberg's pass by Mike Dunham to tie it. Dunham stopped Sakic's potential game-winner with 4:16 left in overtime, making a glove save on a high slap shot.

"Mike looked really strong tonight," Predators coach Barry Trotz said. "He made some great saves."

Sergei Krivokrasov scored two power-play goals as the Predators built a 4-2 lead early in the third. The expansion Predators also ended their own six-game home losing skid and went 3-for-8 on the power play.

Nashville had never scored more than one power-play goal in a home game. During the Predators' home losing streak, they had gone just 1-for-27 with the man advantage. Colorado is winless in its last four (0-2-2) after winning 12 in a row.

Krivorasov's second goal and 18th of the season came from an almost-impossible angle to Patrick Roy's left, just 47 seconds into the third period. He pushed a shot along the goal line that caromed backward off Roy's right leg into the net, and the Predators led 4-2.

"We should have gotten the win, but at this point we are taking any points we can," Nashville's Cliff Ronning said.

Sandis Ozolinsh fired a slap shot from the top of the right circle past Dunham's stick at the end of a two-man Colorado advantage to open the scoring. Cliff Ronning answered for Nashville with a blast over Roy's glove, his fourth goal in five games.

Krivokrasov scored the third power-play goal of the first period with just 16.1 seconds left to give Nashville a 2-1 lead.

Sakic whacked the rebound of his own shot by a sprawling Dunham to tie the game again midway through the second period.

Tom Fitzgerald put the Predators back on top 3-2 at 13:57 of the second period. During a delayed penalty call against the Avalanche, he put a loose puck past a fallen Roy from in front for his ninth goal.

After Krivokrasov connected again, Sakic redirected Adam Foote's shot by Dunham with 5:55 left to cut it to 4-3.

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