NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- The New York Islanders thought they were getting a late power play and a chance to tie the game.

Then the referees met during a TV timeout and decided otherwise.

Shortly thereafter, Nashville Predators left winger Austin Watson administered the killing blow with an empty-net goal and Nashville skated off the Bridgestone Arena ice with a 4-2 win and points in 16 of their last 17 games.

But the main topic following the game was the unusual reversal of a penalty originally called on Predators left winger Viktor Arvidsson for tripping center Frans Nielson at 16:23 of the third period.

As TV took its last commercial break of the night, referees Kevin Pollock and TJ Luxmore huddled and rescinded the call. Replays suggested Arvidsson's stick never touched Nielson, who appeared to fall of his own volition.

New York coach Jack Capuano vehemently disagreed with Luxmore as the first-year referee convened with him at the bench, but took the high road after the game.

"He said he was 100 percent sure that he didn't trip him, and we've got to go with him," Capuano said of Luxmore's explanation. "I've seen it before. At that point, we're just trying to go and get the equalizer."

Instead, the Islanders never even got another shot to Nashville goalie Pekka Rinne. Shortly after removing goalie Thomas Greiss for a sixth skater, Watson lofted his third goal into the net from center ice at 19:03 to draw the Predators (36-22-13) within three points of Chicago for third place in the Central Division.

Nashville, which is 11-1-5 in its last 17 games, also pulled within six points of St. Louis for second place in its first game after a 3-1-1 road trip.

"We talked before the game about what it was going to take to be successful, and I thought the guys came out in the first period and responded," coach Peter Laviolette said.

The Predators' top line again led the charge. Center Ryan Johansen and right winger James Neal each collected a goal and an assist, both of their goals coming at the end of well-executed sequences.

Neal started the scoring at 9:15 of the first period. After helping teammate Calle Jarnkrok win the puck in the right corner, Neal skated to the slot uncovered and Jarnkrok fed him for his 27th goal into an open net.

After New York defenseman Ryan Pulock netted his first NHL goal at 6:02 of the second period to tie the score, Johansen got involved.

Johansen's cross-ice pass to a streaking Ryan Ellis down the right side teed him up for a power-play slapper from the faceoff circle at 8:13 for a 2-1 lead. On his next shift, Johansen turned Neal's spinning backhand pass into his 12th goal, roofing a short-range wrister over Greiss' right shoulder at 9:54.

"Just his hockey sense, knowing that I'm going to be there," Johansen said of Neal's play. "I'm trying to get as much speed as I can to make myself available, and he made a perfect pass."

Islanders center Brock Nelson bagged his 23rd goal at 1:55 of the third period with a wrister that hit Rinne's right leg and trickled into the net. But New York managed only one more shot on Rinne for the night's remainder.

Capuano said his team is trying to make sexy plays instead of simply putting pucks on net.

"Every time they got an opportunity," he said of Nashville, "they got the puck on net. That's how you create zone time."

Rinne finished with 20 saves in winning his 29th game of the season and improving to 9-1-2 in his last 12 games. Greiss stopped 28 of 31 shots but dropped to 19-8-4.

As the Predators hurriedly packed for a flight to Washington, where they face the Capitals Friday night, Johansen saluted the officials for their rare change of heart.

"The game is so fast ... the puck goes around the boards and two guys go after it. We have to look at a replay to see what happened. I think it's great that we got the right call," he said.

NOTES: New York C Mikhail Grabovski was sent home with an undisclosed injury, according to coach Jack Capuano. Grabovski played 17:01 in Tuesday night's 2-1 shootout loss in Pittsburgh. ... RW James Neal's hat trick in Nashville's 3-2 win Monday night at Edmonton was the team's fourth of the season, one more than they collected in the past three seasons combined. ... Islanders scratches were D Brian Strait, C Casey Cizikas and LW Eric Boulton. The Predators scratched D Petter Granberg.