National Hockey League
Calgary 2, Nashville 1
When: 8:00 PM ET, Tuesday, December 15, 2015
Where: Bridgestone Arena, Nashville, Tennessee
Referees: Ghislain Hebert, Garrett Rank
Linesmen: Shandor Alphonso, Andy McElman
Attendance: 15431

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- How does defenseman Mark Giordano explain the Calgary Flames' sublime overtime record this season?

"Having Johnny Gaudreau on your team," the captain said. "He's a pretty amazing player in 3-on-3. He knows how to find the lanes. He's got to be leading the league in overtime points."

Gaudreau added another one to his total Tuesday, setting up defenseman Kris Russell for the game-winning goal at 1:23 of overtime as Calgary edged the Nashville Predators 2-1 in Bridgestone Arena.

It was the seventh overtime point for Gaudreau, a left winger who tallied his 20th assist when he found Russell steaming down the left side on a 2-on-1. Russell roofed the puck over goalie Pekka Rinne for his second goal.

"I was just going to the far post," Russell said. "A guy like (Gaudreau), you just keep your stick on the ice."

In extending its winning streak to a season-high six games, the Flames (14-14-2) won for the fourth time in 15 road games. It was their first road win since Nov. 13, when they clipped Washington 3-2 in overtime.

Calgary has one regulation victory on the road this season and five regulation wins overall, but is 9-2 in games that end in overtime or shootouts.

"Every point is big," Flames coach Bob Hartley said. "I remember last year, we clinched our playoff spot in the second-to-last game of the season. These points mean a lot to us. It's a good confidence-builder."

Meanwhile, Nashville (15-10-6) lost another game in which it outshot and outchanced its opponent. The Predators entered the night third in the NHL in shots for and second in fewest shots against, but haven't been able to make those advantages translate into wins.

Nashville is 2-6 in games decided after regulation - both wins occurred via shootout - and 3-4-3 over its last 10 games.

"I feel like we let a point slip away tonight," Predators coach Peter Laviolette said. "There's no question this is a long season, but if you keep saying tomorrow will be a better day, you're going to miss the playoffs at the end. We've got to find some wins somehow."

It looked like Nashville would find a win, judging from how it dominated the first 15 minutes. It outshot Calgary 12-1 in that span, the puck appearing to be quarantined in the Flames' defensive zone at times.

But all the Predators derived from that stretch was a penalty shot goal from center Cody Hodgson, his third marker of the season, at 5:09. Hodgson was hooked by defenseman T.J. Brodie on a breakaway, and slipped a wrister by goaltender Karri Ramo.

That was all which got by Ramo (10-8-1). He finished with 21 saves, seeing less and less work as the game progressed and Calgary's checking got tighter and tighter.

Brodie made up for his earlier gaffe at 12:28 of the second period, taking advantage of a blown defensive coverage by Nashville and tying the game with a wrister from the slot. It was his fourth goal and extended his point streak to seven straight games.

The Flames earned a power play at 17:40 of the third period when defenseman Shea Weber was called for cross-checking center Sam Bennett, but failed to convert. They went 0-for-4 with the extra skater, including a failure on a two-minute 5-on-3 early in the second period, and are a league-worst 10-for-90 for the season.

However, no team is better than Calgary when it comes to 3-on-3 hockey.

"When it comes to 3-on-3, you have to keep a tight triangle (on defense) and bide your time," Russell said. "Then when it comes your time, you've got to go."

Rinne (12-8-6) collected 19 saves for the Predators, who managed only 10 shots on net over the game's last 46-plus minutes.

NOTES: Calgary LW Lance Bouma (leg) is expected back sometime during the team's four-game road trip that started Tuesday night. ... Nashville C Mike Fisher and LW Colin Wilson sat out with lower-body injuries, missing their seventh and fourth games, respectively. ... The Flames scratched D Ladislav Smid, C Josh Jooris and LW Brandon Bollig. ... The Predators scratched D Anthony Bitetto.
Top Game Performances
 
Calgary   Nashville
Kris Russell 2 Points Cody Hodgson 1
Kris Russell 1 Goals Cody Hodgson 1
Kris Russell 1 Assists Cody Hodgson 0
N/A Power Play Goals N/A
N/A Short Handed Goals N/A
Karri Ramo .955 Save Percentage Pekka Rinne .905
Karri Ramo 21 Saves Pekka Rinne 19
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Shots Goals Power Play Penalty Kill Penalty Mins Face Offs Won
Calgary 21 2 0-4 2-2 4 19
Nashville 22 1 0-2 4-4 8 24
Upcoming Games
  • Nashville will play their next game on the road against St. Louis. The Predators have a W/L % of .333 after a win and .625 after a loss.
  • Calgary will play their next game on the road against Dallas. The Flames have a W/L % of .538 after a win and .412 after a loss.