Predators gnash their teeth over this one

Thirteen seconds.

Thirteen dagnab seconds.

That's all that stood between the Nashville Predators and a chance to pull off a shocker over the Blackhawks in Game 5 Saturday afternoon at the United Center.

A chance to send the quarterfinal series back to Nashville with the Preds up 3-2 and with a chance to possibly close out the series Monday night.

But then Patrick Kane struck on a short-handed goal with 13.6 seconds remaining in regulation.

And minutes later, in some sort of inexplicable hockey karma, Marian Hossa, fresh out of the box after serving a five-minute boarding penalty, knocked home the game-winner from the side of the net.

Hossa's first goal of the series goal also seemed to knock the starch right out of the previously pesky Predators.

"I wish we could have had those last (13) seconds of regulation back," Nashville forward Steve Sullivan said in a dead quite locker room.

"Oh, it's a huge game, you can't deny that," said Predators goalie Pekka Rinne, who made 32 saves. "It's really emotional right now.

"Even though we probably didn't deserve this, we had it, and that's what is so disappointing."

It's true the Predators probably didn't deserve to win after getting outplayed and outshot (24-8) in the first 40 minutes. But if the Hawks have learned anything in this series, it's that you can never count Nashville out.

Ever.

So it wasn't much of a surprise that instead of rolling over, the Preds, behind a pair of third-period goals by Martin Erat, rallied to take a 4-3 lead - a lead that looked like it might hold up until Kane's late-game magic.

"We had a change to steal this game," Nashville coach Barry Trotz. "We had the momentum, but when they killed off the penalty in overtime they got it back.

"Now we have our backs against walls after letting them off the hook."

Said Sullivan: "It (stinks) for us the way it ended. We have to find a way to regroup and get ready for the next one. There's a lot of resiliency on this team."

They'll need every ounce of it come Monday as the Hawks go for 3 wins in a row and a series clincher.

"It's going to be a big test Monday," Rinne said. "Are we going to bounce back?"