CHICAGO -- Roman Josi and Nashvilles dangerous defencemen did it all against the Chicago Blackhawks. That is why Pekka Rinne believes the blue-liners are the biggest key for a strong finish to the Predators disappointing season. Josi had three assists, and Ryan Ellis scored in the third period to lead the Predators to a 3-2 victory over the Blackhawks on Friday night. "If we win or lose, usually its the D-men," said Rinne, who made with 31 saves. "The talent we have on the back end, were pretty fortunate to have that kind of depth in the defence." Shea Weber also had his team-best 27th assist as Nashvilles defencemen combined for five points in the Predators third consecutive win. Weber also leads the team with 43 points, and Josi jumped into a tie with Patric Hornqvist for second on the team with 21 assists. "Thats the strength really of our group, our D-men," coach Barry Trotz said. "Theyre all young and talented. Were the youngest team in the league by three years on the blue line. The future is really bright for us there. Now weve got to work on trying to get those elite forwards like the Blackhawks have." It was the second straight loss for Chicago, which is struggling to keep up with the top contenders in the rugged Western Conference. The reigning Stanley Cup champions dropped to 10-8-7 in 2014. Jonathan Toews and Peter Regin scored for the Blackhawks, and Corey Crawford made 26 saves in his 200th NHL game. "Were putting ourself in tough situations by not starting well and getting away from our team game," Toews said. "Not much of an explanation, but we know we need better right now. We need to get out of this trend were in right now." Mike Fisher and Hornqvist also scored for Nashville, which has won two of three against Chicago this season. Ellis fourth goal of the season came right after the Predators killed a holding penalty on the defenceman that carried over into the third. He jumped out of the box, got a long pass from Josi and beat Crawford on a breakaway to make it 3-1 just 45 seconds into the period. "I was just fortunate enough to time it right," Ellis said. "Josi made a great play with a blocked shot then a tape-to-tape pass through the zone." Regins tip-in got the Blackhawks within one again at 11:28, but they were unable to tie it. Regins second goal with Chicago came after Toews sent a wide-open opportunity off the left post 4:40 into the third. Toews also had an open tip go wide with 36 seconds left. "We knew they were going to make a push," Josi said. "With that team theyve got a lot of skill, but Peks was great again." Chicago controlled the action at the start, but Nashville began to pressure Crawford midway through the first. Nick Spaling shot wide right on a prime opportunity with about 7 1/2 minutes left. Fisher put the Predators in front when he pushed a rebound over Crawfords left leg for his 17th goal at 15:33. Nashville used a big slap shot by Weber to open a 2-0 lead with 69 seconds left in the first. Crawford stopped the drive by the big defenceman, but Hornqvist swept in the rebound for his 13th. Crawford hopped up and slammed his stick down as the Predators celebrated Hornqvists first goal since March 4. "Tough to watch the last part of the first period," Chicago coach Joel Quenneville said. "I thought that was as bad as weve probably played for any stretch all year." The two-goal deficit seemed to wake up the Blackhawks for a bit. Toews stole the puck from Josi and passed it to Kris Versteeg, who passed it back to the captain for his 26th goal with 14 seconds remaining. Chicago carried the momentum into the second, but Rinne was there each time. He used his left pad to deny Patrick Sharp on a 1-on-1 opportunity, and he got some help from teammates when the Blackhawks had the puck in front during a power play at the end of the period. Crawford also used his glove to grab Craig Smiths shot with 5:46 left in the second. NOTES: Blackhawks F Marian Hossa (upper body) participated in the morning skate and is hoping to return Sunday at home against Detroit or Tuesday at Philadelphia. He has missed five games. ... Predators F Viktor Stalberg received a warm ovation when he was shown on the video board in the first period for helping Chicago win the Stanley Cup last season. Stitched Mets Jerseys . THE THUNDER & PACERS BENCHES: In a nutshell, not impressive at all. Mets Jerseys 2020 . After all, the No. 8 seed is chasing far loftier goals. Raonic, from Thornhill, Ont., defeated American Jack Sock 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 in Wimbledons second round on Thursday. https://www.cheapmetsjerseys.us/. Fourteen players were suspended last summer by Major League Baseball as part of the Biogenesis drug scandal, ranging from All-Stars to also-rans. Mets Jerseys 2019 . -- Brendan Leipsic had two goals and an assist and Nicolas Petan extended his point streak to 11 games as the Portland Winterhawks slipped past the Red Deer Rebels 5-4 on Saturday in Western Hockey League action. Custom New York Mets Jerseys . When New Zealand finally held on for an 8-7 win, France No. 8 Imanol Harinordoquy collapsed to the ground, having given every drop of energy he could muster, and lay prone as All Blacks danced around him in celebration. Few critics had given France any chance, but coach Marc Lievremonts team rallied from 8-0 down and came within one kick of taking the lead with 15 minutes remaining, only for flyhalf Francois Trinh-Ducs 49-meter effort to drift wide.DALLAS -- Shane Larkin dribbled the length of the court in a full sprint and hit a running shot off one foot just before the third-quarter buzzer. When the Dallas Mavericks needed to stop a Golden State rally in the fourth quarter, they looked for defensive help from the rookie point guard playing in just his sixth game. The best game so far in Dallas for the son of Hall of Fame shortstop Barry Larkin came on a night when Monta Ellis needed a little help. Dirk Nowitzki scored 22 points, Larkin made several big plays in the second half and Ellis found a way to contribute with his passing to help the Mavericks hold off the Warriors 103-99 Wednesday night. "Its not even about the points or the assists," said Larkin, who scored seven to go with six assists. "I think I just gave my best energy effort off the bench and helped the team get going in that way." Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle thinks Larkin helped the crowd, too -- literally. After his shot from just inside the 3-point line put Dallas up 11, a fan made one from half court to win a 70-inch TV during the break between quarters. "I mean, he went from end to end in less than 4 seconds to get that shot and that was a huge momentum shot," Carlisle said. "Im sure it helped that guy throw in that half-court shot at the break. It helped create a lot of positive energy in the building." Ellis finished with a season-low four points on 2-of-16 shooting, but he had 10 assists, including one to get Samuel Dalembert a dunk and push Dallas dwindling lead to 101-95 with 1:21 remaining. Stephen Curry led Golden State with 29 points and the Warriors stayed close a night after a tough one-point win in New Orleans. Klay Thompson and David Lee had 20 points each, with Lee adding 12 rebounds and Thompson a career-high 10. The Warriors rallied from 17 down midway through the fourth quarter, but never got closer than four. Thompson shot an air ball on a 3-point attempt in one trip, and Dalembert blocked a shot from long range by Draymond Green with 9.4 seconds left. Golden State kept the ball after the block, but the Warriors missed twice in a mad scramble to the final buzzer. "One or two possessions away from taking the lead, have a chance to get some stops and win the game," said Curry, who was 9 of 19 from the field, including 6 of 100 from 3-point range.dddddddddddd. "You had that effort in the fourth quarter and you really didnt show anything in the first three quarters." Carlisle broke his rotation and replaced starter Jose Calderon with Larkin on defensive possessions in the final 3 minutes. It worked on consecutive Golden State trips, with the Mavericks forcing a pair of misses by Thompson, including the air ball from long range. "He just told me to get a stop," said Larkin, who was pulled quickly in the first half of Mondays loss to Denver and didnt play much more. "It showed me he has a lot of confidence in me, so that was good." The Mavericks were in control at 99-82 with about 5 minutes left when the Warriors ran off 13 straight points to make it close. Thompson started the run with a 3-pointer, and it really got going when DeJuan Blair was called for a foul in the backcourt and Ellis was given a technical for an outburst after the whistle. Curry hit the free throw, Thompson hit another from long range and Curry dribbled between two defenders coming off a screen and hit the jumper to get the Warriors within 99-95. "The intensity that you played with in the fourth, you have to play with it for 48 minutes no matter if a back-to-back or what," said Thompson, who was 5 of 16 from the field as the Warriors shot 42 per cent. "I took some bad shots in the last few minutes, so Ill learn from it." Ellis missed a layup in Dallas first chance to extend the 99-95 lead. The next time down, he drove the lane again, but found Dalembert for a dunk and his 10th assist. "Just have to continue to play," Ellis said. "Just one of those nights where they just wouldnt go in. Coach just told me to stay aggressive and I did." Blair had 11 points and led Dallas with nine rebounds. He had seven offensive boards, including several that helped keep the Mavericks in front in the fourth quarter. NOTES: Nowitzki went back in front of Brooklyns Kevin Garnett for 14th place on the NBA scoring list. Garnett had moved in front on Tuesday, but fell behind after scoring just four points against the Lakers on Wednesday night. Nowitzki is at 25,383 points. Garnett has 25,368. ... Warriors C Andrew Bogut returned from a one-game suspension for his role in a scuffle with Portland and had eight points and 10 boards. ' ' '