NASHVILLE - The Nashville Predators gambled that keeping Mikael Granlund instead of shedding the pending free agent at the NHL's trade deadline could help them play their way into the postseason.
Granlund certainly delivered Thursday night.
He became only the fourth player in league history to score a game-tying goal in the final 10 seconds of regulation and then score the winner in overtime as the Predators beat Calgary 4-3 in a playoff-type showdown between the Western Conference's top two teams in the wild-card standings.
Granlund tied it up with 0.1 second left in regulation, then won the game 1:20 into overtime.
"Granny, he was Captain Clutch tonight," said Nashville defenseman Ryan Ellis, who had three assists.
The 27-year-old center from Finland said it was quite the ending.
"The biggest thing is that we got those two points and we found a way somehow," Granlund said. "It was a big two points. We tied it up, then they get the third goal right at the end and then we tie it up again. That's hockey sometimes. Entertaining for sure."
AP photo by Mark Zaleski / Nashville Predators left wing Filip Forsberg controls the puck as he is checked by Calgary Flames center Sean Monahan during the second period of Thursday night's game in Nashville.Roman Josi and Colton Sissons also scored for Nashville, which won its third straight game and improved to 6-1-1 over its past eight.
Mikael Backlund had a goal and two assists, and Rasmus Andersson and Andrew Mangiapane each scored as Calgary had its two-game winning streak halted. Interim coach Geoff Ward called the loss unfortunate even as Calgary got a point to stay a spot ahead of Nashville.
"You got 42 seconds left, right, and you got the lead," Ward said. "They came back with a good push. Obviously, they're playing for their lives right now, too. They're the same as us. They're fighting for those last two spots."
The Predators hadn't been among the top eight teams in the West since Nov. 13, until Tuesday night after beating the Ottawa Senators, and even then they needed a loss by the Arizona Coyotes to give them the edge for the second wild card. By taking the season series 2-1, Nashville holds on to the second spot, a point behind the Flames but with two games still in hand.
Nashville trailed 2-1 when Josi scored his 15th goal of the season, doing so with 5:30 left from the left circle and squeezing the puck under goalie David Rittich's right arm. Mangiapane put the Flames up 3-2 by scoring with 42.9 seconds left for what was seemingly the winning goal.
Nashville took its timeout immediately, and Granlund tied it up from in front, with the puck crossing the line just before the buzzer. Granlund then scored his 17th goal of the season, the winner going in from the slot to start the Predators celebrating. Rittich slammed his stick to the ice, breaking it in half as he went to the bench.
"It's frustrating that we let that one last in," Backlund said. "It's tough. Point-three or however many seconds were left."
It was Granlund's 11th goal since Nashville hired coach John Hynes on Jan. 7, with this his fourth winner in that span.
"He's very consistent in his play, and he finds a way to get to areas where, if you look at him offensively, he gets to the areas where you can score," Hynes said. "And then he has the ability to make key plays at key times. That's the player, that's how good a player he is."
Nashville goalie Juuse Saros made 36 saves for his eighth win in 10 starts.
The Flames were coming off a big 5-2 win in Boston on Tuesday night and have been the NHL's best road team since Nov. 23, winning 15 of their past 20 games. They also got captain Mark Giordano back in Nashville after he missed 10 games with a hamstring injury.
Calgary outshot Nashville 11-8 in the first period, and Saros smothered a point-blank shot from Andersson at the edge of the crease at 11:08. Sissons put Nashville up with his ninth goal of the season, beating Rittich from in front with a wrister off a pass from Colin Blackwell with 31.2 seconds left in the period.
Saros didn't have a chance to deny Andersson 26 seconds into the second, when he tapped in the puck easily off a pass from Backlund. Then Backlund got his 15th with help of a bounce at 3:48 sending the puck past Saros' outstretched glove and skate to give Calgary a 2-1 lead.
Backlund now has 18 points in 11 games for Calgary.
Granlund joined Marian Gaborik (2014), Marco Sturm (2000) and Neal Broten (1983) to score such a late game-tying goal and the overtime winner. He's only the third player in Nashville history to score a game-tying goal and then the winner in overtime.
Sissons has two goals in his past three games for Nashville, which improved to 24-6-4 when scoring first this season.