Patric Hornqvist had two goals and an assist as the Nashville Predators defeated the Edmonton Oilers 6-3 on Thursday night.

Ryan Jones, Joel Ward, Jerred Smithson and Marcel Goc also scored for the Predators (21-11-3), who overcame an early deficit to win their third game in a row. Nashville is 5-0-1 in its last six games and tied for first place in the Western Conference's Central Division with Chicago.

Robert Nilsson replied with a pair of goals and Lubomir Visnovsky added the other for the Oilers (15-15-4), who have lost two in a row since returning home from a five-game winning streak on the road.

Edmonton started strong, striking first on the power play three minutes in as Nilsson threaded the needle between a pair of Preds defenders and chipped a shot off of the arm of Nashville starter Pekka Rinne.

Two minutes later it was 2-0 as the rebound off of a Gilbert Brule shot was accidentally kicked by Nashville's Kevin Klein right to a pinching Visnovsky, who pounded in his eighth of the year. It was just the fourth Edmonton shot on net and enough to chase Rinne just 5:01 into the game, as Dan Ellis came in to replace him in net.

The Predators got on the board with eight minutes to play in the opening period when Jones whacked in rebound after the Oilers failed to clear the puck in front of goalie Jeff Deslauriers.

Nashville tied the game up four minute later as Ward pulled down a puck in traffic in front of the net, put it to his backhand and beat an outstretched Deslauriers.

The Predators quieted the building just 50 seconds later as J.P. Dumont sent a pass through the crease to Goc who tipped home his fifth to give Nashville a 3-2 lead after the first.

Nashville went up 4-2 eight minutes into the second period when Hornqvist finished off a nice three-way passing play from Jason Arnott and Dumont with a shot past a down-and-out Deslauriers.

Edmonton finally got off its heels and moved back to within one with five minutes remaining in the second as Nilsson scored his second power-play goal of the match, stealing the puck from Dan Hamhuis at the blue-line and then making a diving deke to beat Ellis.

The Predators, however, got a late power play goal of their own with just three seconds left in the period as Hornqvist tipped a Ryan Suter shot in for his second of the match and a 5-3 lead.

Smithson scored for Nashville with just 43 seconds left to put the game out of reach.

Both teams play again on Saturday night as the Oilers host the Washington Capitals and the Predators head to Calgary.

Notes: Edmonton won the only previous meeting between the two teams, 6-1 in Nashville, but the Predators have had nothing but success against Edmonton in recent years, now the winners of 12 of the last 14 meetings. ...Deslauriers started his 13th consecutive game with Nikolai Khabibulin out indefinitely with a back injury. Khabibulin had a cortisone shot earlier this week hoping to speed up his recovery. ...Oilers forward Mike Comrie has started skating after a lengthy absence due to mono. ...Edmonton captain Ethan Moreau missed the morning skate with illness but did play on Thursday. ...Nashville had defenceman Cody Franson back in the lineup after recalling him from Milwaukee (AHL) on Wednesday. ...Nashville forward Jordin Tootoo remains out 3-4 weeks with a lower-body injury. ...The Predators have now scored four-or-more goals 11 times in the last 17 games, including shootout winners.