NASHVILLE, TENN. (AP) -- Joel Ward's unassisted goal in the second period helped the Nashville Predators hold off Colorado 4-2 Saturday night and send the Avalanche to their eighth straight loss and 18th defeat in 19 games.
Shea Weber and Matt Halischuk also scored, and Martin Erat had an empty-net goal and an assist. Pekka Rinne stopped 36 shots for the Predators, who won their second straight. They remain ninth in the Western Conference, a point behind four teams tied at 81 points.
Ryan O'Reilly and Daniel Winnik each scored for Colorado, which was without top scorer Paul Stastny (back) and Milan Hejduk (shoulder). Both players were injured Friday in a 6-2 loss to Anaheim.
The Avalanche are 1-16-2 in their past 19.
Nashville won its fourth straight over the Avalanche, including three this season by a combined score of 14-6. The Predators jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first.
(Copyright ©2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
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