In a game billed as the biggest postseason game ever played in the city of Nashville, the Predators were not to be denied.
Smashville wouldn't let them.
In an downtown atmosphere never seen before, the Predators came out buzzing, firing shot after shot only to be turned away time and time again by Ducks' goaltender John Gibson.
A Corey Perry Power Play goal in the second period gave the Ducks a 1-0 lead entering the third, but there was no stopping the Preds.
Not on this night.
Not in this arena.
The gold-clad crowd helped the Predators come out buzzing to start the third, and it wasn't long before they tied it.
Filip Forsberg making a terrific play behind the net to find Ryan Ellis in the slot. His shot was kicked away by Gibson, but Forsberg was right there on the rebound for his sixth goal of the postseason to equalize things less than 4:00 into the third.
And the Preds kept coming.
It looked like they grabbed the lead moments later when Colton Sissons buried a rebound into an open net, but the referees blew the play dead prior to the goal when Harry Zolnierczyk was pushed into Gibson knocking him out of the play.
The Preds kept coming.
It looked like Ryan Johansen would then be the hero with his rebound goal, but that too was waved off for an interference penalty on Mattias Ekholm after he couldn't avoid Gibson on his drive of the net.
Nashville was able to kill off the Anaheim Power Play with relative ease backed by an ear-splitting crowd cheering every deflection and clear. And they got one last chance thanks to a high-sticking call late.
And while the Preds' Power Play has struggled much of the series, this time they would not be stopped.
Not on this night. Not in this building.
Cycling in the zone, Mattias Ekholm bombed a shot from the point that got knocked to the side where Roman Josi sized it up and ripped a wrister past Gibson.
The clock read 2:43. The scoreboard read 2-1 Predators.
And the home team killed off the remaining time for the biggest win in franchise history.
Of course at this point every win is the biggest win the team has ever had.
And Smashville knows it.
These delirious fans have now cheered the Predators on to 10 consecutive home playoff wins, the longest streak in the NHL in nearly two decades, equaling the mark of the back-to-back Stanley Cup champion Red Wings in 1997-98.
It's getting easier to see a Preds' celebration in mid-June as this magical postseason run continues in an environment that is second to none right now in sports.
It was something else Tuesday night. The night the Predators came back from a third period deficit to reclaim a 2-1 lead in the Western Conference Final.
Game four is Thursday night. Smashville and the Predators will be ready.
