Nashville Predators confident of Game 6 against Vancouver Canucks in semi-finals – NHL Play-offs
It looks like the Vancouver Canucks did not learn a lesson from their Western Conference play-off quarter-final series against the Chicago Blackhawks, after they nearly lost in the decider game, after having a 3-0 lead since game three. Nashville, after
a spectacular game five victory, has forced a game six extension against the top seed of the conference on Monday, in their own arena.
It was a stunning defeat in game five at the Rogers Arena in Vancouver, British Columbia, when the Predators’ Joel Ward, scored twice in the third to secure the match even. Ryan Kesler hit his second to bring down the deficit within one with four minutes
remaining, but they could not recover any further. Canucks could not believe they had lost, as they termed their performance a hundred percent from their side, without any hesitation like in the Chicago series.
Canucks captain, Henrik Sedin, said, “It's frustrating. We've been in this place before, but tonight we battled hard. It wasn't a case like Chicago where we gave them two games.”
Predators are a little bit confused, not knowing how they have made it this far for the first time in over 12 seasons. Under the guidance of Coach Barry Trotz, Nashville has been improving steadily and can finally stand up to any challenger. They have never
won a match in which they were on the verge of elimination until now, against the Anaheim Ducks and Vancouver Canucks.
Canucks Goalie, Roberto Luongo, before leaving for Nashville, said, “What more do you want to learn. We should know by now what it takes. When a team has their back up against the wall, that's when they are going to play their best hockey of the season.
And for us to win that game we need to have that same desperation level.”
Ryan Kesler has been performing exceptionally well throughout the series against Nashville. The American Canucks player has the highest average in the semi-final series, with a total of nine points including five goals in the past six games. Kesler cannot
control the series all by himself. He needs support from both the Sedin twins like they once performed in the regulation season, to become an unstoppable trio. Both Henrik and Daniel Sedin are a combined -14 in the series, which is far below their potential.
They lead the National Hockey League (NHL) in scoring and assisting, but have not come forward this time around in the post-season.
Joel Ward is Nashville’s top-notch performer. He has four goals in three consecutive games, including a game-winning performance in game-five. Predators forward, Jerrod Smithson went out of the game during the last period of their match, on Saturday. His
position to play on Monday is still questionable, as he was also not present in the practices. Left-winger, Steve Sullivan is also out of the line-up and is not expected to return any time soon.
Whatever the situation may be, both teams remain confident that they will win come Monday, at the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee. The encounter is expected to be a highly intense match-up between the two Western Conference rivals, as the Canucks
will face-off to advance into the next round, while the Predators will fight for survival.
Tags: