watchers also think that if the Brazilian team gets on a roll an

EDMONTON - Being in the Western Conference doesnt make life easy for the Edmonton Oilers.Craig Smith had a pair of goals as the Nashville Predators bounced back from their first regulation loss of the season, defeating the Oilers 4-1 on Wednesday.Taylor Hall scored the lone goal for the Oilers (4-5-1), who have yet to defeat a fellow Western Conference team this season.We are in the west and we have to find a way to beat the western teams, said Ryan Nugent-Hopkins. A lot of the western teams play a different style than they do in the east, but we are not getting out of this conference and we dont want to. I know we can play with them and we just have to find a way to beat them. There is no need to panic right now.Its unfortunate we cant beat teams in our division, added Hall. We get zero points and they get two and get a leg up on us. Its tough. Tonight wasnt really an effort that deserved two points, but at times during the game it was there to be taken. Unfortunately, we gave up a lead and couldnt get it back.Shea Weber and Taylor Beck also scored for the Predators (6-1-2), who started a six-game road trip off on solid footing.We came in here and did a pretty good job, Weber said. Thats a hot team, they had won four in a row. We knew we had to be ready. We didnt get a call early on and we stuck with it. The second period wasnt our best, but we got a couple of goals there and were able to get one early in the third and put them out of it.Smith said his line was influenced by the return of Matt Cullen to the Predators lineup.I think our line played well and I think our unit was able to create some turnovers and use our speed to make plays, he said. Cullen getting back in the lineup, I thought he was outstanding tonight, moving his feet well, I didnt think he missed a stride. I thought we played well tonight and were able to get a win.Edmonton caught a huge break just a minute-and-a-half in as Nashville had a goal waved off — the third time in the past five games an Oilers opponent has had a goal disallowed. Nashvilles Smith poked a puck into the net from under the glove of Oilers goalie Ben Scrivens, but the ref was quick to call the goal off, and the decision stood up after video review.The reasoning I got was that in the referees view the goaltender had made a save and when Craig came in with the second push, he was in the process of blowing the whistle, said Nashville coach Peter Laviolette. So I think it was because in their view the original save was made and he was blowing the whistle on that. Its not like it was loose puck.Nashville also came close five minutes into the opening period when Anton Volchenkov rang a shot off the post.The Predators controlled the bulk of the play in the first period, with 11 shots on Scrivens to Edmontons three on Pekka Rinne in the Nashville net.Video review was called upon again 19 seconds into the second period when Edmonton fans thought that Nugent-Hopkins had scored from the top of the circle on Rinne, but it was quickly determined he had hit the crossbar.Smith finally broke the scoring open for Nashville six minutes into the second period as a rebound landed on his stick and he tucked it in the net for his second of the season.The Predators made it 2-0 a minute-and-a-half later as Colin Wilson spotted Beck get away from defender Brad Hunt and hit him on the fly for a goal into a wide-open net.Webers rocket from the point added to Nashvilles lead just 24 seconds into the third period. The play was set up when a turnover in the Oilers zone went back to Weber.The Oilers tried to get back into the game a couple minutes later as Justin Schultz blazed into the zone and attempted a wrap-around, but Rinne was quick to get across and make the save.Hall ended Rinnes shutout bid with 11 minutes left to play. A big rebound on a Nugent-Hopkins shot came to Hall, who buried his sixth of the season.The Predators regained their three-goal cushion with just under eight minutes to play as Cullen made a perfect pass on a two-on-one to Smith for his second of the night.The Predators win was punctuated by a monster hit on Hall by former Windsor Spitfires teammate Ryan Ellis, who caught him trying to split the defence.I dont know what I was doing there, Hall said. He had probably seen me do that a bunch of times in junior. I should know better than to try that on him. I havent been hit like that in a long time.The Predators next game is on Friday in Calgary against the Flames. The Oilers conclude their season-high seven-game homestand on Saturday against the Vancouver Canucks.Notes: It was the first of three games between the two teams this season, with the other two scheduled to take place in Nashville…. Edmonton swept the three-game series last year and has had a fair amount of success against the Predators in recent years. The Oilers came into the game having gone 9-4-1 in their last 14 games against Nashville… The game was the start of a six-game road trip for the Predators as they vacate town for the annual hosting of the Country Music Association Awards. Nashville went 2-4-1 during last seasons CMA trip… The game marked the seasonal debut of Predators forward Matt Cullen, who missed the first eight games of the season with an upper-body injury. He will play left wing on a line with centre Derek Roy and right wing Craig Smith. Cullen, 37, is in his second season with the Predators, scoring 10 goals and 29 assists after signing with Nashville as a free agent last season. To make room for Cullen on the roster, Rich Clune was assigned to the Milwaukee Admirals of the American Hockey League… Oilers defenceman Nikita Nikitin missed his second straight game with back spasms… Edmontons 2014 third overall draft pick Leon Draisaitl played his 10th game, activating the first year of his entry level deal. John Hannah Patriots Jersey . Various media outlets, including the Detroit Free Press, indicate a deal is close, while USA Today cited an unidentified person directly involved with the negotiations as saying the pact is for two years. 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CSKA received the heavier punishment of playing its next European home game behind closed doors, after its supporters displayed racist and far-right symbols in the Czech Republic during a 2-1 loss to Viktoria Plzen on Dec.RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil -- President Dilma Rousseff appealed to Brazilians to support the World Cup, using a nationally televised address less than two days before the tournament starts to rebuke the "pessimists" who complain the country shouldnt be hosting the event. Brazils World Cup preparations have stoked countless protests from those angered by the billions spent on the event while the quality of public services in the health, education, security and transport spheres is lacking. In a pre-taped speech aired during prime time Tuesday night, Rousseff called on all Brazilians to back the national team regardless of their political persuasion or whether they fully agree with the nation hosting the event. "Im certain that in the 12 host cities, visitors are going to mix with a happy, generous and hospitable people, and be impressed by a nation full of natural beauty and which fights each day to become more equal," she said, referring to sharp drops in poverty that Brazil has seen in the past decade under Workers Party leadership. Rousseff also defended the $11.5 billion spent on the Cup. Three out of every four Brazilians polled say they are convinced that corruption has tinged the myriad works related to the Cup. An Associated Press investigation earlier this year found that big construction firms responsible for building the bulk of the stadiums, roads and other works had dramatically increased their campaign contributions since Brazil was named as the host of this years Cup. Much of that money was funneled to Rousseffs ruling Workers Party though spending also went to the opposition. In one case, top builder Andrade Gutierrez, which has helped build or renovate four stadiums, hiked campaign contributions 500-fold from one election to the next after it was determined which 12 cities would host matches. That stoked anger and increased suspicions about collusion between politicians and the big builders -- especially after reports from government auditors began to surface, indicating massive cost overruns aalong with allegations of price-gouging, principally in the building of stadiums.dddddddddddd For instance, the cost of the stadium in Brasilia, a city with no major professional soccer team, has nearly tripled to $900 million from original price estimates published by the government. "Have no doubt, the accounts of the Cup are being meticulously analyzed by auditing agencies," Rousseff said. "If there exists any irregularity, those responsible will receive the maximum punishment." About half of Brazilians polled have said theyre against even hosting the World Cup and the mood is mixed about the event just days before it starts. That was once unthinkable for a nation that embodies soccer like no other, the country that has won the World Cup a record five times. However, many Cup watchers also think that if the Brazilian team gets on a roll and starts winning, the mood could quickly pivot and the nation could show the world a celebration worthy of its international reputation as a land of free-wheeling festivals and easy going, friendly people. Rousseff said that "for any nation, organizing a Cup is like taking part in a tough -- and many times painful -- game." The leader rebuked those who argue Brazil has spent too much on the Cup, saying that since 2010, the government has spent more than 200 times what it invested in stadiums on education and health care systems. Adding to fears of chaos during the Cup, subway worker unions in Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro were both expected to announce decisions soon on whether they would call transportation strikes for the coming days. Rousseff, whose poll numbers are slipping ahead of an October political election, concluded her speech by urging all Brazilians to rally around their team, whom she addressed directly. "Beneath those green and canary jerseys, you embody a powerful legacy of the Brazilian people. The national team represents nationality," she said. "Its above governments, parties and interests of any group." ' ' '