straight versus Minnesota. The Timberwolves are 4-0 in their last four as the host

NASHVILLE -- Pekka Rinnes milestone win dealt a serious blow to Phoenixs playoff hopes. Charlie Blackmon Rockies Jersey . Rinne made 29 saves to lead the Nashville Predators to a 2-0 win over the Coyotes on Thursday night. Craig Smith and Patric Hornqvist scored for Nashville, which has won four of its last five. "This group, as I have been saying all year, has a lot of character," Predators coach Barry Trotz said. "Theres only one way to play, and thats play the right way. This group plays the right way." The Coyotes lost sixth straight game and hurt their quest for the Western Conferences eighth and final playoff spot. Phoenix entered the day two points behind Dallas in the wild card race. Both teams have two games remaining, including Sundays season finale when Dallas visits Phoenix. "Obviously we need help now," Phoenix coach Dave Tippett said. "Youve got to get yourself rested and ready for the next game. Well see where we are Saturday morning." Phoenix will need to finish the season at least one point ahead of Dallas in the standings since the Stars will hold the first tiebreaker of more regulation and overtime wins no matter what happens over the course of the final two games. Dallas hosts the St. Louis Blues on Friday. If the Stars get one point in the game, it would give them the last spot in the West, eliminating Phoenix. "Its not where we want to be," Phoenix defenceman Michael Stone said. "Thats all there is to it really. We didnt do enough to continue to be able to control our own fate." Smith scored the games first goal at 10:26 of the second period. After taking a pass from defenceman Ryan Ellis above the left circle, Smith skated down to the left faceoff dot, where he used two Coyotes standing in front of goaltender Thomas Greiss as screens and scored his 21st goal of the season with a wrist shot high to the far side. Smiths power-play score snapped a 13-game goal-scoring drought. Hornqvist doubled the Nashville lead at 9:21 of the third. From below the goal line, Mike Fisher found Hornqvist in the slot. Greiss denied Hornqvists first attempt, but he poked in his own rebound for his 21st of the season -- and seventh goal in his last six games. "Fish got the puck behind the net and I saw him creeping up the wall," Hornqvist said. "I just tried to get open in the slot. He found me and then I buried the rebound." The shutout was Rinnes second of the season and 32nd of his career. He now has 162 wins, moving him past Tomas Vokoun into first place on Nashvilles career wins list. "We did a really good job of blocking shots and getting the clears when we needed to," Rinne said. "When they got the shots, I was able to see them. It was kind of back to the normal way of game playing." Rinne missed 51 games this season due to a hip infection. NOTES: Prior to the game, the Predators announced that they are partnering with former Olympic figure skating gold medallist Scott Hamilton, who will serve as an active principal for the skating centre at their new suburban rink set to open this summer. Hamilton is a Predators season ticket holder. ... Phoenix RW Martin Erat played in his 800th career NHL game. His first 723 were played with Nashville prior to his trade to Washington at last seasons trade deadline. ... Six of Smiths goals this season have come on the power play. Nolan Arenado Rockies Jersey . According to TSN Hockey Insider Pierre LeBrun, Brodeurs agent Pat Brisson has spoken to six teams so far regarding the veteran goaltender. Jose Reyes Rockies Jersey .com) - Cleveland Cavaliers superstar LeBron James will sit out Thursdays game against the Oklahoma City Thunder with left knee soreness. http://www.baseballrockiesproshop.com/carlos-gonzalez-rockies-jersey/ . Gerald Green and Miles Plumlee? Green had bounced around the NBA when he wasnt playing overseas. The Pacers gave up on Plumlee after just one season. Now Green and Plumlee are key cogs in the Suns surprising breakout season.(SportsNetwork.com) - The New Orleans Pelicans once again become road warriors on Friday as they travel to the Target Center to face the Minnesota Timberwolves. The Pelicans played one game in the Big Easy following a five-game road trip. New Orleans went 2-3 on that trip with wins over the Toronto Raptors and Detroit Pistons and losses to the Boston Celtics, Philadelphia 76ers and New York Knicks. On Wednesday, the Pelicans returned home and defeated the Los Angeles Lakers, 96-80. Anthony Davis, who was named a starter for the Western Conference All-Star team, had 29 points and eight rebounds as the Pelicans pulled away from the Lakers in the fourth quarter. Davis returned from a three-game absence with a toe injury. Eric Gordon posted 17 points, 10 assists and five rebounds, while Tyreke Evans added 19 points for the Pelicans, who outscored the Lakers 27-12 in the fourth to turn the game into a rout. We just love Gordons floor game, having 10 assists was huge for us, Pelicans coach Monty Williams said. New Orleans scored the first nine points of the fourth quarter to grab a 10- point cushion at the 8:32 mark. The Lakers never got within less than eight the rest of the way. Following Fridays contest, the Pelicans head home for a six-game residency. The Timberwolves have lost two straight since winning two of threee. Jake McGee Rockies Jersey. Minnesota has dropped nine straight at home and hasnt won at the Target Center since Dec. 10 against the Portland Trail Blazers. On Wednesday, the home losing streak reached nine with a 98-75 setback at the hands of the Dallas Mavericks. Andrew Wiggins paced the Timberwolves with 18 points, with Thaddeus Young tallying 14 points, 11 rebounds and six assists in defeat. Nikola Pekovic, playing his first game since Minnesotas loss in Dallas on Nov. 15, had 14 points in 23 minutes in his return. The Mavericks hit on 11-of-27 shots from beyond the arc. Minnesota, in contrast, went a poor 2-of-15 on 3-point tries and shot just 34.8 percent overall. It felt like we were playing with deflated balls tonight, Timberwolves head coach Flip Saunders joked in reference to the controversy surrounding the New England Patriots recent win in the AFC Championship Game. We couldnt shoot at all tonight. The Timberwolves might be getting some reinforcements soon in the form of Kevin Martin. He has practiced for almost a week and is listed as questionable for Friday. There is no return timetable for Ricky Rubio or Shabazz Muhammad. The Pelicans beat the T-wolves in New Orleans on Nov. 14 and have taken two straight versus Minnesota. The Timberwolves are 4-0 in their last four as the host in this series. Cheap Heat Jerseys Cheap Bucks Jerseys Cheap Timberwolves Jerseys Cheap Pelicans Jerseys Cheap Knicks Jerseys Cheap Thunder Jerseys Cheap Magic Jerseys Cheap 76ers Jerseys Cheap Suns Jerseys Cheap Blazers Jerseys Cheap Sacramento Kings Jerseys Cheap Spurs Jerseys Cheap Raptors Jerseys Cheap Jazz Jerseys Cheap Wizards Jerseys ' ' '