It is often said that hockey is the ultimate team sport. Your 1C goes down? Next man up… Your captain can’t go? Next man up… One of your big scorer’s can’t go? Next man up… Your goalie goes down? Next man up… In my blog yesterday, I wrote that all the Anaheim Ducks needed to do was “show up and play their game” in order to win game five. The Anaheim Ducks did show up and did play their game and I am happy to say that I was completely wrong… that wasn’t enough as the Nashville Predators rose up and took a 3-1 win at Honda Center to take a 3-2 lead in the Western Conference Final.
In a game that nasty, dirty, gritty and intense, you can’t say (at least with a straight face) that either team didn’t show up. Last night, the Nashville Predators proved the old saying about the danger of a wounded animal. They imposed their will on the Anaheim Ducks, used their speed and played their system to almost perfection.
Both team’s came out ready to play, Nashville took a few minutes to find their game as the lines were completely shook up because of the injuries, but Pekka Rinne was there, continuing his Conn Smythe worthy playoff campaign, once again proving to all those who have questioned the Predator’s goaltender that he is indeed an elite keeper in this league and not a hurdle to overcome.
The Predators had to kill penalties right off the bat, two in the first ten minutes of the period, but their PK was very solid and the teams went into the room after the first with a clean scoreboard. Then, another twist in this series that could be renamed last man standing… John Gibson couldn’t answer the call and Jonathan Bernier had to replace him in the Ducks net. Gibson is being categorized as having a lower body injury and will be evaluated before Monday’s game six. Bernier in the game gave Nashville pause… playoff goaltender changes have not normally been kind to this team and Jonathan Bernier has usually played very, very well against the Preds.
The tight play continued as each team looked for an advantage in the second, and Anaheim found it. Rinne got handcuffed on a shot, bobbled the rebound and the Ducks Chris Wagner, the goat in game three, becomes a hero in game five by banging home the rebound and giving the Ducks a 1-0 lead. With the way this game was going you had to wonder if another goal was going to happen. But, another old saying was proven with two and a half minutes to go in the second period when Josh Manson cross checked Filip Forsberg to the head after getting high-sticked by Forsberg a few seconds earlier. They always catch the retaliation, and on the ensuing power play, Nashville finally made the Ducks pay for their transgression.
Then, look… up in the sky… it’s a bird… it’s a plane… no… it’s Playoff Colin Wilson!!! Wilson stepped up big in this game and his hard work paid off, coming up huge on the power play with a backhand that found a tiny hole, bounced off the post and in to tie the game with one of those “back-breaker” late period goals. The teams went to the room tied at one… but Nashville clearly had the advantage.
The third period quite possibly was one of the best periods of hockey the Predators played since the playoffs started. They played on the toes, they were aggressive and they bottled up the Ducks on attempt after attempt to set up in the Preds zone. The teams spent most of the time in the neutral zone as neither squad was willing to give an inch. Then… after a long shift, Mattias Ekholm found enough in the tank to break down the right wing to accept a three line stretch pass from Calle Jarnkrok. Ekholm then hit Filip Forsberg with a sweet little backhand pass at the top of the circle, Forsberg shoots, Bernier mishandles the puck, giving up the rebound and Pontus Aberg was Johan-on-the-Spot, sweeping the loose puck into the open net, giving the Predators the lead.
And there was much rejoicing…
The Predators didn’t go into prevent mode… they continued to push the attack, looking for any opportunity to extend the lead. In the process, they frustrated the bejeebers out of the Ducks by not allowing them to set up in the offensive zone. They stacked the blueline and did not allow any kind of easy entry and when the Ducks tried to play chip and chase… Rinne was there to play the puck and get it out. It was a masterful five minutes of hockey.
Then… one final bit of bad luck for the Ducks, the only time they managed to set up in the Preds zone, with about a minute to go and their goaltender pulled… Jakob Silfverberg snapped his stick when trying to pass out to the point, he managed to kick the puck to Corey Perry below the goal line and Perry went from game four hero to game five goat on a terrible giveaway, passing it directly to Austin Watson, who promptly sent it 170+ feet into the empty net…
Game… Set… Preds lead the series 3-2.
Let’s get to the GBU…
The Good Solid penalty killing (going 4-4) and overall just outstanding team play… the Predators imposed their will on an Anaheim team that came out strong. Also… full marks to Frederick Gaudreau who won 71% of his faceoffs last night…
The Bad Some discipline issues in the first period, perhaps it was adjustment or being too jacked up… but giving the Ducks four power plays is usually not a good recipe for success.
The Ugly - The scrum in the last ten seconds of the game where there were 30 penalty minutes assessed including a misconduct to Corey Perry who was jerking the arm of the official trying to keep him separated from the scrum… borderline abuse of an official there…
The Predators fly home today, they will arrive at 3:30 in their normal Signature Air location… I would expect a rather large welcome home turn out… game six is tomorrow night, 7pm start time at Bridgestone Arena.
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Conference Final Reset
Eastern Conference
PIT vs. OTT – Series tied 2-2 – Game five is today in Pittsburgh.
Western Conference
ANA vs. NSH – NSH leads 3-2 – Game six is tomorrow night in Nashville.
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Playoff Random Notes
- After last night’s game, it is kinda hard to complain about the officiating after uncalled high stick penalties (yes I meant the plural) and especially the non-called trapezoid play. There were quite a few missed on the other side as well, so it did even out.
- You gotta give major props to Frederick Gaudreau, he stepped up in a major way last night.
- Aberg was called back to the locker room for the concussion protocol (which he passed) right after his goal… he had gone face first into the ice a little earlier and lost a tooth. Makes the game winner even more impressive.
- Nashville isn’t the only hobbled team in this series, Anaheim is still missing Patrick Eaves… Rickard Rakell missed last night and John Gibson’s status is unknown.
- Anaheim’s extended travel, difficult seven game series over Edmonton and no rest between series is having a larger and larger impact as this series progresses… especially after travel… think about it… the Ducks best games were when they didn’t have to travel in between 1,2 and 4.
- One game in the NHL today – 2pm – OTT @ PIT (NBC)
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