tate doesnt play again until hosting Denver on Thursday, while the Jazz face Dallas on

NASHVILLE -- Pekka Rinnes milestone win dealt a serious blow to Phoenixs playoff hopes. Adidas Neo NZ . Rinne made 29 saves to lead the Nashville Predators to a 2-0 win over the Coyotes on Thursday night. Craig Smith and Patric Hornqvist scored for Nashville, which has won four of its last five. "This group, as I have been saying all year, has a lot of character," Predators coach Barry Trotz said. "Theres only one way to play, and thats play the right way. This group plays the right way." The Coyotes lost sixth straight game and hurt their quest for the Western Conferences eighth and final playoff spot. Phoenix entered the day two points behind Dallas in the wild card race. Both teams have two games remaining, including Sundays season finale when Dallas visits Phoenix. "Obviously we need help now," Phoenix coach Dave Tippett said. "Youve got to get yourself rested and ready for the next game. Well see where we are Saturday morning." Phoenix will need to finish the season at least one point ahead of Dallas in the standings since the Stars will hold the first tiebreaker of more regulation and overtime wins no matter what happens over the course of the final two games. Dallas hosts the St. Louis Blues on Friday. If the Stars get one point in the game, it would give them the last spot in the West, eliminating Phoenix. "Its not where we want to be," Phoenix defenceman Michael Stone said. "Thats all there is to it really. We didnt do enough to continue to be able to control our own fate." Smith scored the games first goal at 10:26 of the second period. After taking a pass from defenceman Ryan Ellis above the left circle, Smith skated down to the left faceoff dot, where he used two Coyotes standing in front of goaltender Thomas Greiss as screens and scored his 21st goal of the season with a wrist shot high to the far side. Smiths power-play score snapped a 13-game goal-scoring drought. Hornqvist doubled the Nashville lead at 9:21 of the third. From below the goal line, Mike Fisher found Hornqvist in the slot. Greiss denied Hornqvists first attempt, but he poked in his own rebound for his 21st of the season -- and seventh goal in his last six games. "Fish got the puck behind the net and I saw him creeping up the wall," Hornqvist said. "I just tried to get open in the slot. He found me and then I buried the rebound." The shutout was Rinnes second of the season and 32nd of his career. He now has 162 wins, moving him past Tomas Vokoun into first place on Nashvilles career wins list. "We did a really good job of blocking shots and getting the clears when we needed to," Rinne said. "When they got the shots, I was able to see them. It was kind of back to the normal way of game playing." Rinne missed 51 games this season due to a hip infection. NOTES: Prior to the game, the Predators announced that they are partnering with former Olympic figure skating gold medallist Scott Hamilton, who will serve as an active principal for the skating centre at their new suburban rink set to open this summer. Hamilton is a Predators season ticket holder. ... Phoenix RW Martin Erat played in his 800th career NHL game. His first 723 were played with Nashville prior to his trade to Washington at last seasons trade deadline. ... Six of Smiths goals this season have come on the power play. NMD Shoes Wholesale . -- Zach Johnson is like most players at the World Challenge, not sure whether hes still playing in 2013 or if hes in the middle of the new wraparound season that officially started in October. Superstar Shoes NZ . If one fighter gases, he usually gets beat up pretty bad from that point on. http://www.nmdshoesnz.com/adidas-superstar-cheap-nz.html . DeGrom outpitched Jake Peavy in a tantalizing hitless duel that carried into the seventh inning Saturday night before the New York Mets broke loose and beat the San Francisco Giants 4-2. OAKLAND, Calif. -- After another weird week in a season full of drama, the Golden State Warriors figured winning was the best way to quiet the growing chatter surrounding coach Mark Jacksons job. Klay Thompson scored 33 points, Stephen Curry played through an illness to finish with 31 points and 16 assists, and the Warriors rolled past the Utah Jazz 130-102 Sunday night to keep pace in the Western Conference playoff race. "If you pay attention to the chatter, then you lose sight of whats taking place," Jackson said. "If it was great noise around here, our chatter is irrelevant. The numbers speak for themselves." The Warriors (48-29) eclipsed last seasons win total and moved 19 games over .500 for the first time in 20 years. Golden State remains 1 1/2 games behind fifth-place Portland and 1 1/2 games ahead of seventh-place Dallas in the crammed conference standings. Even in the midst of the franchises best season in two decades, not everything has gone smoothly for the Bay Areas beloved basketball team -- or its coach. The Warriors have parted ways with two of Jacksons assistant coaches in less than two weeks. They fired Darren Erman on Saturday for what the team called "a violation of company policy," and Jackson reassigned Brian Scalabrine to the teams NBA Development League affiliate in Santa Cruz on March 25 because of what Jackson called a "difference in philosophies." For at least one night, though, Jacksons players put the focus back on the court. The Warriors scored more points than they had all season, made a season-high 17 3-pointers on 33 attempts and outshot Utah 57.8 per cent to 45.3 per cent from the floor. Center Andrew Bogut, who had missed the past four games with a bruise in his pelvis and groin area, also returned to finish with six points and 11 rebounds in 23 minutes. "There have been some things that happened off the floor that happen in all professional organizations," Bogut said. "Its obviously none of your business, none of the fans business, no ones business outside of our organization. Its a team thing that stays in house. Were still winning games." Playing against the Western Conferences worst team certainly helped. Trey Burke had 24 points and 15 assists, and Alec&nbssp;Burks added 24 points and five assists in the latest lopsided loss for the Jazz (24-53), who are just trying to finish out the season on a positive note. Stan Smith Shoes NZ. Instead, they let two of the leagues streakiest shooters get loose. "Curry and Thompson got hot early. They got open looks," Jazz coach Tyrone Corbin said. "Curry came out with the intent of getting them up early and he made shots." The shooting display came after Jackson spent about 15 minutes before the game defending the job he has done, saying theres "no friction at all" between him and management. He also said "Im absolutely convinced my future is just fine." The scintillating shooting display by Jacksons guard duo, which he has repeatedly proclaimed the "greatest shooting backcourt in NBA history," quickly put the Warriors on firm footing. Curry, who said he has been battling a cold, made his first four 3-pointers and finished with 16 points and six assists in the first quarter to give Golden State a 35-22 lead. After the Warriors went ahead 40-22 early in the second quarter, Utah took advantage of several misses and mistakes by Golden States second unit to score 13 straight points. Curry and Co. returned and restored order, ending the half with a 66-52 lead. Curry had 20 points and 11 assists at the break; Utah totalled 10 as a team during that span. "Its tough, man," Burks said. "I guarded both of them. Theyre great players and they can really shoot." Thompson and Curry continued their scoring surge in the third quarter to lift the Warriors ahead 101-73 through three quarters. Both sat out the fourth. Thompson finished 11 of 20 from the floor, including 7 of 10 from 3-point range. Curry shot 12 of 18 from the field and 5 of 10 from beyond the arc. NOTES: Warriors PF David Lee sat out for the sixth straight game with nerve inflammation in his right leg, and his status remains murky. ... The last time the Warriors were 19 games over .500 was when they held a 50-31 record near the end of the 1993-94 season. They finished 50-32. ... The Warriors swept the season series (4-0) against the Jazz for the first time. ... Golden State doesnt play again until hosting Denver on Thursday, while the Jazz face Dallas on Tuesday in Utah. ' ' '