Ryan Kesler shook the arena alive with a power-play goal 1 minute 45 seconds into the third period to pull the Ducks to within 2-1.
Advertisement
The Ducks were left with the same odd story to tell for another long summer.
Nashville were 3-2 behind in the first-round series before clinching back-to-back wins to advance at the Ducks’ expense.
“It shows a lot of character”. “We can learn from this series”. It’s a really good team we played against, and there’s a lot of good things we can take from this series. “Moving forward, I think we’re a better team already”. My crystal ball must be working at least a little magic- so if you’re looking for in-depth evaluations of possession metrics and Corsi ratings to find out who will come out on top of the Nashville Predator’s second-round tilt against the San Jose Sharks- you’re in the wrong place.
“It’s a big step”, said coach Peter Laviolette, who improved to 5-1 in Game 7s. Forgive me if you are a San Jose fan, and feel free to keep that smirk right where it is.
This is the first Game 7 in franchise history for the Predators. Only six Predators had even appeared in a seventh game with other teams, but they all ended up celebrating a breakthrough for Music City hockey at Honda Center. “I think we’ve done a great job blocking shots”.
Finally, the Sharks get to play another hockey game.
They swarmed Nashville’s end the whole period, outshooting them 13-6, but the closest they came to scoring was Jamie McGinn hitting the crossbar. But a redirected shot clanked off Rinne’s post in the third, and nothing went in during a frantic final minute, leaving the Ducks with a mountain of frustration and the Predators with a cathartic escape.
“It’s a new team, new time”, coach Bruce Boudreau said. They also made it very hard on Anaheim to set up shop in the Nashville crease and get the kind of looks the Ducks are more used to. “I’m trying not to look at it big picture so much…” But if the Predators can get more out of their top guys, combined with the league’s best defensive duo in Shea Weber and Roman Josi, they could be a formidable threat in the Western Conference. My prediction is a Sharks victory over Nashville in a rugged and defense-besotted seven game series. Several other players finished with three points. The Ducks have won just three playoff rounds in four postseasons under Boudreau, twice taking the eventual Stanley Cup champion to seven games before falling at home. Still, coming off of a Game 7 where he yielded just one goal against the desperate Ducks on 37 shots, he has some confidence coming in.
Of Game 7, Perry added, “It’s tough. I haven’t thought about it as far as my future”, said Boudreau. “For our group in here – [other than] a couple guys banged up right now – we like that we’re just getting right back out on the ice and playing”.
Corey Perry didn’t score a goal in the seven-game series, and the former NHL MVP missed an open net for a tying goal in the third period. However, he struggled against Chicago in Game 7 past year, yielding two first-period goals and stopping just 21 shots in a 5-3 defeat.
Advertisement
Colin Wilson poked the puck to himself as Ducks defenseman Simon Despres lost track of it and broke in on Frederik Andersen to beat him with a backhand. Jakob Silfverberg broke his stick on a three-on-two chance. “We had a belief in this room that we could win this series, and we did”. The Predators scratched F Cody Bass for the first time in the series, using Colton Sissons and Craig Smith instead.
