Captain Shane Doan scored in the first period

NASHVILLE -- The Phoenix Coyotes are on the brink of their first Western Conference finals thanks to their stingy goalie and the captain who travelled with the franchise from Winnipeg to the desert. J.J. Watt Womens Jersey . Captain Shane Doan scored in the first period, Mike Smith made 25 saves and the Coyotes beat the Nashville Predators 1-0 on Friday night to grab a 3-1 lead in the Western Conference semifinal series. It was the first win in the month of May in the franchises NHL history, and Phoenix can advance with a victory in Game 5 on Monday night in Arizona. "To win like this is exciting because our goaltenders so good, and we know that we go as far as he takes us," Doan said. "Hes been unbelievable in this and really solidifies how important he is and how good he is." Now the Coyotes, owned by the NHL, are 3-1 for the second straight series heading back home with the chance to advance. Chicago won Game 5 to put off elimination for a game, but Phoenix coach Dave Tippett said his message will not change. "Its going to be the same kind of game," Tippett said. "Very little space, very little advantages and youre going to have to compete hard and hopefully we can find a way to win a game." The Predators played without forwards Alexander Radulov and Andrei Kostitsyn for the second straight game, this time the decision by coach Barry Trotz to stick with the lineup that won 2-0 on Wednesday night. Trotz said he refuses to second-guess his decision, though lineup changes are likely. "Plain and simple, weve got to win a hockey game," Trotz said. "That focus cant go any farther than that. Winning a hockey game, and its going to have to be in Phoenix. I know when youre down in a series 3-0, the numbers dont look good. At 3-1, a number of teams have come back." The Predators thought they tied it with 7:12 remaining. But officials waved off the power-play goal with the official explanation that a whistle blew before the puck crossed the line. Trotz said he didnt get an explanation with officials telling captain Shea Weber a different reason. "They said that (Patric) Hornqvist pushed the goaltender into the net. If you look at it, I dont buy that," Trotz said. The Predators wound up outshooting Phoenix 25-24, but they had chances with the net open they simply missed with Radulov and Kostitsyn on the sideline. Smith, the low-budget replacement for Ilya Bryzgalov after the Russian left the desert for a big contract with Philadelphia, credited his teammates with pressuring the Predators into making some bad shots. "We were so aggressive," Smith said. "We didnt give them much, kept them to the outside and when they did get opportunities we had stick on puck. We had guys lying down blocking shots. My D was tremendous tonight. They have been good all playoffs long, but this is one of the better games theyve played in front of me." Radulov leads Nashville with a team-high six points in the post-season, and Kostitsyn is tied for the team lead with three goals. Fans cheered the announcement that the two were scratched after they were suspended for Game 3 for an apparent curfew violation last weekend in Arizona. Nashville had plenty of chances, outshooting Phoenix 10-5 in the third. The Predators even got a power play at 11:34 when Coyotes defenceman Derek Morris cleared the puck over the glass and went to the box. The Predators had a scrum in front of the net after Mike Fisher threw the puck at the net, but the official behind the net immediately waved no goal. Phoenix improved to 4-1 on the road in the post-season, spoiling what had been a big party in Nashville with three blocks of Broadway shut down right in front of the arena. The Predators put two big TVs outside for fans to cheer but didnt give them much to yell about. The Coyotes outskated and outshot Nashville from the start, coming with much more energy. They even got a power play 90 seconds in only to see the Predators kill that. Then Ryan Suter had a turnover near the net, and Coyotes left wing Mikkel Boedker had a chance on Pekka Rinne right in front before the 6-foot-5 Finn blocked it with his right pad. Fans did their best to try and spark the Predators with their usual standing ovation through a timeout in the first period to a catfish tossed onto the ice early in the third. Nothing helped the Predators aim getting past Smith into the net. "Their goalie was phenomenal tonight," Nashville defenceman Ryan Suter said. "It was definitely the toughest game to get anything going." Nashville went 0 for 3 with the man advantage. The first came when Rostislav Klesla was penalized for boarding Predators forward Matt Halischuk right in front of the Coyotes bench. Replay showed Klesla appeared to grab Halischuks jersey before pushing him into the boards, and Halischuk went to the locker room briefly. But the Coyotes, perfect in killing penalties on the road this post-season, did it again. Doan scored on a backhander as he skated across the slot with the puck going off the stick of Predators defenceman Roman Josi and over Rinnes right pad at 14:25 of the first. The Predators came out with more energy in the second but struggled to get a shot on net. Hornqvist had Nashvilles best chance around the 6-minute mark when Smith came just out of the crease to handle the puck, and Hornqvist missed the net. The Predators struggled so much they couldnt even go on a 2-on-1 chance before being called for offsides later in the second. With Smith in net, Doans goal proved to be enough with the way the Coyotes played in front of him. They blocked 10 of Nashvilles first 15 shots, and Smith either covered up or gloved the others. Notes: The Winnipeg/Phoenix franchises last previous May game was May 20, 1979, when the Winnipeg Jets beat Edmonton 4-2 to win their third WHA title. The game was the last in WHA history. ... The Coyotes are 16 of 16 on the penalty kill on the road this post-season. ... The Predators are 0 for 23 on the power play at home. Ray Rice Elite Jersey . Wickenheiser, the all-time leading scorer of the Canadian womens hockey team, wasnt sure Eskilstuna would keep her after injuring her right knee in Sundays Four Nations Cup final. Shelley Duncan Jersey . In fact, he enjoyed it. Santana was greeted by his enthusiastic teammates after the Cleveland Indians beat the Seattle Mariners 6-5 on his RBI single with one out in the bottom of the 11th inning. Antonio Gates Womens Jersey . Also, third-seeded Juan Martin del Potro fired nine aces to advance with a 6-4, 7-5 win over Karol Beck of Slovakia. Baghdatis was injured in the opening games as Berdych raced to a 3-0 lead. A.J. Green Youth Jersey . The Flames have won three straight for the second time this season, posting recent victories over Minnesota, Detroit and Vancouver. Calgary last won four in a row during a six-game tear from Jan. Ryan Fitzpatrick Elite Jersey . Join TSN.ca at 3pm et/Noon pt for our Live Game Blog and a chance to get interactive with the TSN Community. The Kings have jumped out to a 3-0 lead in this best-of-seven series and are one win away from making just their second trip to the Cup Finals in franchise history.Canadas top gymnasts will look to tumble, twirl and trampoline their way to the top at Nationals this week. The Canadian Gymnastics Championships run from May 22-26 in Regina. The championships will host four gymnastic disciplines: mens and womens artistic, rhythmic and trampoline. Some of the top medal hopefuls for the Londdon 2012 Olympic Games will be on display, with notable names like Karen Cockburn and Rosannagh MacLennan vying for titles. Darren McFadden Jersey. . Fans will also see on-the-rise talents Victoria Moors and Jackson Payne, who are in the mix to claim an Olympic berth. Click on to CTVOlympics.ca to read more of this story. ' ' '