NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — The Predators didn’t love their execution in game one and certainly didn’t like the result, but they said the effort was there.
The message going into game two was to keep it up and good things would happen, and they did as the Preds beat the Canucks 4-1 to steal home ice advantage in this best-of-seven Western Conference first round series.
Nashville vowed to be tighter and more connected after Sunday’s 4-2 loss in which they surrendered three Vancouver goals in the third period, including a disastrous two in the span of 12 seconds.
You could see that emphasis just over a minute into the game when a dogged forecheck by veteran Ryan O’Reilly forced a giveaway and Anthony Beauvillier screened off a Canuck so Filip Forsberg could track it down. With a little space Forsberg, who struggled offensively in game one, flipped a shot from just inside the blue line which was deflected by Casey DeSmith for a 1-0 lead just 74 seconds into the game.
DeSmith was forced into the starting role between the pipes due to a knee injury to Vancouver starting goalie Thatcher Demko. The Predators did their best to pepper DeSmith every time they could find a little crease against the normally stingy Canucks D.
O’Reilly was critical of his game one but turned up his full-ice performance in game two. Forsberg set a franchise record with 48 goals in the regular season but only had three shots Sunday night. In game two he was much more aggressive, picking up his second assist of the series on the Beauvillier goal and then scoring in the second period after winning a battle for a puck along the boards behind the Canucks goal and skating in and flipping a nifty shot past DeSmith for a 2-0 lead.
The Predators top line of O’Reilly, Forsberg and Gustav Nyquist got the best of the top line battle after the Canucks got three combined goals from Dakota Joseph and Quinn Hughes in game one.
Nashville also continues to get strong contributions from its veteran supporting cast. Jason Zucker scored the first goal of the series Sunday and helped create a Vancouver giveaway in its own zone in the second period that led to a Beauvillier shot and a rebound goal by Colton Sissons.
It was a special moment for Sissons, a Vancouver native, to score a playoff goal in the building he grew up going to for Canucks games.
While the Canucks had to make the abrupt goaltender switch amidst uncertainty of Demko’s status for the rest of the series, the Predators got the Juuse Saros they’ve come to expect. After a bit of a shaky game Sunday Saros made a kick save on a point blank rebound just over four minutes into game two.
The Canucks ramped up the pressure throughout the course of the game, controlling puck possession and owning a 84-35 shots advantage. Nikita Zadorov was able to blast one past Saros late in the second period to cut the deficit to 3-1, but Vancouver got nothing else.
Predators defenders repeatedly sacrificed their body, blocking 32 shots. And Saros was there for the ones that did get through, making 17 saves on 18 shots on goal. He stuck his left skate blade out to stone Dakota Joshua on a point blank shot midway through the third period, then quickly recovered to the left post to corral Joshua’s follow attempt. Then with just over five minutes left he stopped a Brock Boeser attempt from the middle of the slot after a Canucks faceoff win.
Nashville went 20 minutes of game action without a single shot on goal before Kiefer Sherwood tracked down a loose puck and fired a shot from a tricky angle into an empty net to seal the victory and send the Preds back home with a hard fought split north of the border.
That was the goal when they departed for Vancouver on Friday. It wasn’t always pretty with the Canucks dominating possession and attacking zone time, but what the Preds have lacked in execution they made up for in guts and determination Tuesday night.
Now they have a chance to take a lead in the series as they return to Smashville for game three Friday night.
