Clayton Stoner will make his first appearance in these Stanley Cup playoffs – in a winner-take-all Game 7. “I walked them to school this morning, and half the teachers had jerseys on and all the kids have these orange “Go Ducks” jerseys on”. There’s no denying his passion for the game and the Predators will need all hands on deck if they want to win their first Game 7 in franchise history. “We expect to have their best and I’m sure they’re the same”.
Advertisement
After erasing a 2-0 series deficit with three impressive wins that saw them outscore the Predators 12-3, the Ducks didn’t play that badly in Game 6. The last game of the night also sealed a series at 4-2, but it was the New York Islanders who upset the higher-seeded Panthers.
How it happened: The Predators went up 2-0 in the second period on goals from Mattias Ekholm and James Neal, taking a lead they would not relinquish.
“It’s obviously an exciting game”, Stoner said.
It wasn’t pretty but it was Perron’s third playoff goal in 29 games and first since 2012 when he scored for St. Louis in its clinching Game 5 of the Western Conference quarterfinals over San Jose. The winger’s sheer presence in the lineup is important as it allows Ducks coach Bruce Boudreau to keep Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry apart, deepening the scoring potential throughout the lines. Every day is different. “We’re looking forward to the game”.
When Johansen, 23, was a 10-year-old boy playing road hockey in his hometown, he would pretend to have his Game 7 moment.
“We are going to have to rely on guys who have been there before and we are going to throw our everything at them, play our best game and find a way to move on to that second round”, Perron said. I know he’s not the most realistic trade target, but c’mon Kenny…
Rinne, who had been struggling in this series, came up big late. Chicago just missed a chance to tie it when Brent Seabrook’s shot went off both posts with about 3:30 left.
Nashville brought out Tennessee Titans tight end Delanie Walker to wave a towel and charge up the sellout crowd.
Sit back and enjoy tomorrow night’s game Sharks fans as it will likely be the last stress-free game you’ll be able to watch this postseason. Perry is playing well defensively, but he’s paid more than $8 million annually on average to be one of the league’s best goals scorers.
The Predators looked sluggish and didn’t have the same jump as they did it the first two games.
Andrew Cogliano has followed closely on Getzlaf’s heels with 4 points (2 goals, 2 assists).
No one with the Nashville Predators would say it was worth the wait.
After finishing the regular season with a. 908 save percentage, one of the worst among all starting goalies for playoff teams, he has been very hit-and-miss in this series. Shea Weber’s empty-net goal with 10 seconds remaining touched off the celebration in earnest.
Advertisement
Anaheim, considered a Stanley Cup favourite by many when the playoffs began, never expected to be pushed to the brink this early, but now that they’re here they have two options: respond, or live with the fact their championship drive lasted all of three wins.
