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Legwand also had an apparent goal waved off later in the period.
"We gave them that early energy, that early momentum," Phoenix coach Dave Tippett said.
Though Phoenix outshot Nashville through the first two periods, Rinne wasn't tested much. He had a shot go off the post in the first period and saw heavier traffic in the crease as the Coyotes shook off a sluggish start. But he never faltered after giving up five goals in Sunday's 5-3 Game 2 loss -- the Predators' worst performance of the postseason -- snapping Phoenix's team-record streak of three consecutive road playoff wins and a run of three straight wins in Nashville overall snapped. The Coyotes had given up just four goals on the road in the playoffs before Wednesday.
"We know that we didn't play well in Game 2, so for us it was kind of embarrassing, our effort," defenseman Ryan Suter said. "We knew we had to come out and play the way we're capable of playing. You play good teams and you have to match their desperation, and we did that."
Without Radulov and Andrei Kostitsyn, who were suspended for violating unspecified team rules, Nashville figured to lose some offensive power, but the defense more than made up for it.
Rinne finished by turning away several shots during a tense 41 seconds of 5-on-3 hockey late in the third period after penalties on Erat and Sergei Kostitsyn. He stopped two point-blank shots Radim Vrbata -- including one in which he lifted his leg while laying on his stomach for a blind save -- and stood tall after the Coyotes pulled Smith in the final 2 minutes for an extra skater.
"I think we have the momentum until about midnight tonight, then it starts all over again, and that's how you've got to look at it because it can change in a heartbeat," Trotz said. "It could have changed on that 5-on-3. They score two goals and we could be playing for a couple hours more."
NOTES: Bourque extended his Predators' rookie playoff record to five points. ... Legwand has 10 points in his last 12 playoff games. ... Fisher leads the Predators with 38 career postseason points.
[Associated Press;
Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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