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ANAHEIM, Calif. - Craig Smith just might be the antidote to the Nashville Predators many seasons of sickly offence.The speedy rookie centre had no problem outskating the Anaheim Ducks, who arent getting nearly as much out of their wealth of talent.Smith had two goals and an assist, Martin Erat scored on a second-period penalty shot, and Nashville wrapped up a five-game trip with a 4-2 victory over the struggling Ducks on Wednesday night.Smith, who played at the University of Wisconsin last season, capped the second three-point game of his short career with his second goal early in the third period, banging in a pass from Wilson in front. The 22-year-old American has matched David Legwand for the Predators scoring lead with 14 points.Im just making sure Im doing my job and chipping in when I can, Smith said. Its been really good so far. Im playing with some guys who know the game real well, and Im just trying to help out.Smith played on a makeshift line with Patric Hornqvist, who had three assists, and Colin Wilson, who had a goal and an assist. All three youngsters shined in the absence of Legwand, who missed his first game of the season because of an undisclosed upper body injury sustained in the first period of Nashvilles 4-3 loss to the Kings on Tuesday.Ive only had (Smith) for a short time, but hes just a really focused kid, Nashville coach Barry Trotz said. Hes got dynamic speed. He wants to win those races for pucks and battles, and hes emerging as a really good player.Pekka Rinne made 31 saves in the Predators fifth win in seven games. The Predators $49 million goalie had started every game this season until taking the night off in Los Angeles. He beat the Ducks 3-0 in Nashville on Oct. 29, kicking off Anaheims losing streak.Nashville has dominated Anaheim in the first two rematches of the clubs first-round playoff series last spring, won in six games by the Predators.Right wing Jordin Tootoo unleashed a profane locker-room diatribe against the Ducks after the game, apparently reacting to Anaheim captain Ryan Getzlafs criticism of him for allegedly embellishing penalties in the Ducks loss at Nashville last month.Obviously, weve got to know each other a lot, Trotz said. I dont think we really care for each other, thats the good part about the playoffs.Teenage Ducks rookie Devante Smith-Pelly got credit for his first NHL goal when a puck deflected in off his leg in the first period. Francois Beauchemin also scored for the road-weary Ducks, who have lost six straight and nine of 10.Jonas Hiller stopped 28 shots, but the 2011 All-Star lost his fifth straight decision in the Ducks return from a seven-game trip for just their fifth game at Honda Center this season.Its hard. Were letting each other down, said Getzlaf, who has one point in six games. The little mistakes were making are costing us. The last few games we were gripping the sticks pretty tight and trying to do a few more things than we need to. I thought we did a better job of staying within our system, but we had a few mental breakdowns, and it cost us.After a two-week European road swing to open the season, Anaheim went 1-3-3 during a 16-day absence from home, ending with a 5-0 loss at Detroit described by several Ducks as their worst game.At least the schedule gets much more friendly to the Ducks, who will get on a plane only for a one-day trip to Phoenix during the next four weeks, playing 11 of 13 at home overall.Were in a funk right now and its up to us to battle through that adversity, rally around each other and try to get out of it, Ducks defenceman Cam Fowler said. We cant find a way to get a W. I think we put a better effort out there tonight, but they just capitalized on some of our mistakes. Its just how the bounces are going right now.Smith scored his sixth just 80 seconds in, banking the puck off Hiller from behind the net. Wilson added his third goal 4 1/2 minutes later, but Fowlers shot through traffic in the final minute of the first period went in off Smith-Pellys knee.Smith-Pelly, the 19-year-old right wing who made the Ducks roster directly out of junior hockey, had one point with a minus-5 rating in his first 12 NHL games. Fowler leads the Ducks with more than 25 1/2 minutes of ice time per game, but the 19-year-old defenceman hasnt scored a goal in the first 14 games of his second full NHL season.Erat put a penalty shot past Hiller after Lubomir Visnovsky hit him with his stick on a short-handed breakaway.NOTES: Nashville will spend the next two weeks at home during a five-game stand. ... Ducks C Peter Holland originally was credited with his first NHL point with a first-period assist, but it was taken away when Fowlers apparent goal was awarded to Smith-Pelly 45 minutes after the game ended. Gosder Cherilus Colts Jersey .J. -- If people were looking for Richard Sherman to get the weeklong hype for the Super Bowl started with another rant, the Seattle cornerback disappointed them. Frank Gore Womens Jersey . -- Barry Bonds is all set to return to the San Francisco Giants. http://www.thecoltsofficialonline.com/Authentic-Phillip-Dorsett-Colts-Jersey/ . - Miami Dolphins quarterback Ryan Tannehill says he read only few pages of the investigative report on the teams bullying scandal, but hes confident the necessary changes will be made to ensure a healthy locker room environment. Arthur Jones Womens Jersey . Bernier left Thursday nights game against the Kings with a lower-body injury and was replaced by James Reimer, who stopped every shot he faced to pick up the victory. Arthur Jones Colts Jersey . - Green Bay running back Eddie Lacy was limited in practice Wednesday after bruising his hip in the Packers victory this week over Atlanta.The volatile, and now tied, Western Conference Finals shift to Alamo City for a crucial Game 5 Thursday night between the San Antonio Spurs and Oklahoma City Thunder. Watch the game live on TSN and TSN GO at 9pm et/6pm pt. Serge Ibaka returned to the Thunder lineup from a calf injury that was supposed to sideline him for the remainder of the postseason and the results were sparkling. Ibaka helped OKC to victories in Games 3 and 4 and his defense has been a huge reason for the shift in momentum. With Ibaka back in action, the Thunder have held the Spurs to 40 and 36 points in the paint for the two games at Chesapeake Energy Arena. Without Ibaka and the series at AT&T Center, San Antonio exploited his absence to the tune of 66 and 54 points in the paint. But Ibakas return isnt the only factor in OKC tying the series. Kevin Durant, the reigning MVP, has been brilliant, but Russell Westbrook has been amazing. The Thunder won Game 4, 105-92, and the dynamic duo of Oklahoma City was on full display. Westbrook finished with 40 points, 10 assists, five steals and five rebounds, while Durant poured in 31 points on just 22 shots. Westbrook became the first player since Michael Jordan in 1989 to have a postseason game with at least 40 points, 10 assists, five rebounds and five steals. "I just think myself and Kevin, obviously we want to win, and we want to get better," said Westbrook. "Tonight, we came out with a defensive mindset. I thought we did a great job of helping each other out defensively, and that led to us getting out in transition, getting open looks, and it looked easy for both of us." The Thunder shot 50.8 percent from the field over the first three quarters to build a substantial lead, one aided by a staggering 21-0 advantage in fasstbreak points.dddddddddddd Tony Parker scored 14 points, while the other two-thirds of San Antonios Big 3 -- Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili -- totaled 14 points on 5-of-16 shooting. Kawhi Leonard scored 10 as the San Antonio starters, including Danny Green and Tiago Splitter, combined for 39 points, one shy of Westbrooks total. "Theyre talented obviously, but the athleticism and the length gives you a small margin of error, and youd better be smart the way you play, and you cant afford to screw that up as many times as we did," said Spurs coach Gregg Popovich. "And I think we have to play harder." To that end, Pop sat his starters midway through the third quarter, bringing some back in the fourth. Afterward, he indicated that he was resting players for Thursday, but after practice on Wednesday, he said some changes, albeit small ones, might be in order. "Weve considered a couple of tweaks here and there just in the game plan." Popovich said. "I dont know exactly where thatll be, but we saw a few things that we think might warrant a little tweak here and there." The Spurs, who are 8-1 at home this postseason, saw a similar scenario play out two years ago. They beat the Thunder in the first two games, then lost the last four as OKC marched into the NBA Finals. "I dont think about it," said Pop. Maybe Popovich should think about this - the Thunder have won seven straight over the Spurs with a full lineup, including Ibaka. "We know what were playing for," said Durant. "We know that the series is far from over, and we know we havent done anything, but what were supposed to do, which is win at home, taking care of our home court." Game 6 will be Saturday night in Oklahoma City. cheap nfl jerseys cheap jerseys cheap jerseys cheap nfl jerseys wholesale jerseys ' ' '