Tkachuk, Flames rally for win against Predators in final seconds of OT

NASHVILLE -- Matthew Tkachuk scored with 1.6 seconds remaining in overtime, and the Calgary Flames rallied from three goals down in the third period for a 6-5 win against the Nashville Predators at Bridgestone Arena on Thursday.

After Elias Lindholm's initial shot was blocked, Tkachuk got the rebound in the slot and scored with a shot between his legs.
"I try it it seems like once a game," Tkachuk said. "I'm lucky it went in. I knew there was very little time on the clock. Very little, like a couple seconds. Where the puck was, I couldn't get my feet or my body around to keep it on my forehand. I didn't think I'd have the time to do that and I didn't want to go ahead of it to try and backhand smack it, so that was kind of the last resort. And it went in, which was nice."
WATCH: [All Flames vs. Predators highlights]
Tkachuk tied it 5-5 on a rebound at the right post with 39 seconds remaining in the third period after Austin Watson gave the Predators a 5-4 lead with 1:22 remaining on a 2-on-1.
Lindholm and Derek Ryan each had a goal and an assist, Sean Monahan had three assists, and David Rittich made 31 saves for Calgary (7-6-2).
"I think all 24 guys in here get a lot of confidence out of a win like that," Flames defenseman Rasmus Andersson said. "Now we've just got to keep it going, start off better and finish off the way we did."

Watson had two goals and two assists, Calle Jarnkrok scored two shorthanded goals, and Pekka Rinne made 21 saves for Nashville (8-3-2), which had won four straight.
"When you lose a game like this, you want to get back on the ice and get out there as quick as you can," Predators coach Peter Laviolette said. "We've been pretty consistent for the whole year. I think the one thing that we'll go back and look at is that we just really stopped playing the game offensively."
Andersson scored for the Flames to make it 4-2 at 1:58 of third period, and Lindholm scored his 100th NHL goal to cut it 4-3 at 13:38 when his centering pass went in off the skate of Predators defenseman Roman Josi.
"I thought we had the puck lots, and if we didn't, it was the most we had it in a game," Calgary coach Bill Peters said. "I thought we were dangerous, and we were looking to make plays and we were playing with confidence. You can't play with one foot on the gas and one on the brake. So let's take the one off the brake."
Alan Quine scored his first of the season to tie it 4-4 at 16:39 of the third off a cross-ice pass from Mark Giordano.
Nick Bonino gave the Predators a 1-0 lead at 5:33 of the first period on a rebound in front. It was his fourth goal in the past two games.

Watson extended the lead to 2-0 at 10:15 of the first with a one-timer from the right hash marks.
Nashville announced during the game that it signed Watson to a three-year, $4.5 million contract (average annual value of $1.5 million). Watson could have become an unrestricted free agent July 1.
"Obviously, you don't expect to put up three or four points every night," said Watson, who entered the game with two points (one goal, one assist) in 12 games. "But those games are nice every once in a while."
Ryan cut it to 2-1 at 15:27 of the first on a wrist shot from low in the left circle following a wraparound attempt by Tkachuk.
Jarnkrok gave the Predators a 3-1 lead at 4:36 of the second period on a 2-on-1, and he scored his second shorthanded goal of the period to make it 4-1 at 18:52.

They said it

"I didn't think it was going to be possible after the first 10 minutes. Especially with them scoring two shorthanded goals, it kind of took the life out of us. To start the third, [Andersson] had a really big goal. Good play by [Flames forward Johnny Gaudreau]. We were all over them in that third period, and that's the way we need to be to be at our best." -- Flames forward Matthew Tkachuk
"We stopped playing in the second, and we stopped playing even more in the third."-- Predators forward Calle Jarnkrok

Need to know

Tkachuk is the second player in Calgary history to score a tying goal in the final minute of regulation and the game-winning goal in the final minute of overtime. Eddy Beers did it against the Vancouver Canucks on Oct. 30, 1983. … Jarnkrok is the second player in Nashville history to score two shorthanded goals in a game, joining Scott Nichol. … Predators forward Filip Forsberg returned to the lineup after missing six games because of a lower-body injury. He had five shots and was minus-1 in 17:27 of ice time. … Gaudreau had two assists to become the fifth fastest player in Flames history to reach 400 NHL points (409 games).

What's next

Flames: At the Columbus Blue Jackets on Saturday (7 p.m. ET; SNW, SNP, FS-O, NHL.TV)
Predators:Host the New York Rangers on Saturday (2:00 p.m. ET; FS-TN, MSG, NHL.TV)