Detroit defenseman Chris Chelios, Nashville left wing Steve Sullivan and Florida right wing Richard Zednik are the finalists for the NHL award for perseverance. All three players overcame serious injuries to return to the NHL and on Thursday were listed as candidates for the Bill Masterton Trophy, given to the player who best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to ice hockey. Chelios this season became the third person to play 25 seasons in the NHL but he missed the first 28 games of the schedule when he broke a bone in his leg while blocking a shot during the pre-season.

Ryan Jones scored with 2:18 left to play Monday night to lead the Nashville Predators past Los Angeles 4-3. Shea Weber, Steve Sullivan and Joel Ward also scored and Pekka Rinne made 26 stops for Nashville, which has won two straight following a three-game losing streak, but has eight wins in its last 11 games. The win leaves the Predators in seventh place in the Western Conference with 75 points.

A Chicago researcher said he is seeking local volunteers to help track an important ecosystem indicator -- the squirrel population. Steve Sullivan, curator of urban ecology at the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum, said he is seeking at least 5,000 citizen scientists in the Chicago area to participate in Project Squirrel by documenting the number and species of squirrels in their neighborhoods four times a year, the Chicago Sun-Times reported Friday. Your kids can participate, he said.

Steve Sullivan, who had not produced a point in almost two years, picked up two of them Tuesday in helping Nashville defeat Toronto 2-0. Pekka Rinne recorded his fourth shutout of the season, but was upstaged by Sullivan -- who has had two back operations during the last two seasons and who on Saturday played in his first game since early in 2007. The game was scoreless through two periods, but Sullivan delivered a power-play goal 5:33 into the third.

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Marek Zidlicky and Steve Sullivan each scored twice to give the in-form Nashville Predators a 5-2 win over the Washington Capitals in National Hockey League play Wednesday in Washington.