Preds, Flyers deadlock

The Nashville Predators didn't know how to thank goaltender Tomas Vokoun for his efforts in the net against the Philadelphia Flyers so they gave him a tie.

It was the least they could have done. Vokoun, making his 31st straight start, also played in his 200th NHL game Tuesday night as the Predators and Flyers skated to a 1-1 tie in overtime in front of 16,247 fans at the Gaylord Entertainment Center.

The Flyers outshot the Predators 43-21, keeping Vokoun more than a little busy. As usual, Vokoun took the extra work in stride.

"We got the point and it's over," Vokoun said. "They're a shooting team. They shoot everything.

"I'm not worried about it. Some nights you play great defensively. Some nights you don't. But we got the point, and that's all I care about."

Nashville defenseman Bill Houlder stressed that the team has to do a better job of limiting shots on goal.

"Tonight was a first, second and third save effort for Tomas," Houlder said. "He stood in there and scrambled and put himself in a situation to earn a tie. He was a one-man machine back there.

"Hopefully, we will offer him more defensive support in our next six games or this is going to peel years off of his career. There were a couple of times I went back there, and he was huffing and puffing and dripping with sweat. We've got to give the guy a breather."

Both teams were scoreless through the first two periods.

"They cycled and got the shots," Houlder said. "I don't know if we cycled very much.

"A lot of the play was in our zone, which obviously makes it more difficult for the goalie. He is bent over all of the time, and he has to stay focused. They were funneling pucks to the front of our net, and beating our guys to the net.