This was the toughest test of the postseason so far for the Predators and they passed it with flying colors.
This was against a spirited effort from a Blues team desperately wanting to avoid going down 3-1 in this second round series.
This was against the hottest goaltender in the league in Jake Allen, who turned away chance after chance for better than 40:00 in game three.
This was a prototype playoff game full of tight checking and hard hitting against one of the most physical teams in the league.
The Predators were up to the task, matching the Blues desperation and physicality, and eventually finding a way to get to Allen on the way to a 2-1 win that gives them a commanding 3-1 series lead.
"It was a tight game tonight," Predators head coach Peter Laviolette said. "They were really good and I liked the way our guys matched it."
In a game where chances came few and far between, the stars through two periods were the goaltenders.
Pekka Rinne made 18 of his 32 saves in the first two periods and Allen stopped the first 15 shots he faced. Both goalies turned away several point blank opportunities to keep the game scoreless.
Then in the third, the Predators broke through thanks to a controversial Power Play. Ryan Ellis depositing a loose puck into the back of the net for his fourth goal of the playoffs and a 1-0 lead.
"Wow. He does everything for us," Laviolette said when asked about Ellis's contributions. "He's just a strong, strong defensive player and he's on a roll offensively for us."
Blues head coach Mike Yeo was none too happy about the Preds man advantage in that situation as Ryan Reaves was cited for an extra roughing penalty after Cody McLeod and Joel Edmundson had gotten involved in a skirmish.
"[The Predators] did a really good job of lobbying for penalties," said Yeo. "Every stoppage they're yelling at the refs, they're talking to the refs. It's been that way all series and it worked out for them."
The Blues have no one to blame but themselves for the Predators' second goal. James Neal turning a takeaway into a spinning shot that caught Allen by surprise, fluttering over his shoulder and in for a 2-0 Nashville lead.
It was the type of play Preds' fans have become accustomed to from the sharp-shooting Neal. As forward Austin Watson joked, "that's just Nealer being Nealer."
St. Louis was able to add a late goal, but Nashville held on for the 2-1 win. With the victory, the Predators have now tied the franchise record for wins in a postseason with seven, set just last year. Most importantly, they're now just one win away from the team's first ever trip to the Western Conference final.
But perhaps the most encouraging sign on a night where the Predators showed true playoff mettle to win a hard fought game is the fact that there was no celebration in the locker room after the game.
"We've won three games, you need to win four," defenseman Mattias Ekholm said. "We haven't done anything yet."
That's a good sign.
As well as the Predators have played, they still believe they can and will play better.
Tuesday's game four win means they're standing on the brink of history, yet they're still looking for more.
