Vancouver Canucks edge past Nashville Predators, 3-2: NHL Play-off Recap
Ryan Kesler found the back of the net twice, including an over-time goal, as the Vancouver Canucks held on for a 3-2 victory against the Nashville Predators in the Western Conference semi-final series, Bridgestone Arena on Tuesday night.
Chris Higgins also lit the lamp for Vancouver, which took a 2-1 lead in the semi-final series after dropping a double-overtime heart-breaker on Saturday. Roberto Luongo turned away 28 shots in the win.
David Legwand and Joel Ward both hit the net for Nashville, who matched the Vancouver’s energy, but not their shots. Pekka Rinne was dented for three goals on 47 shots in the losing effort.
Legwand staked Nashville on the board just after the mid-way mark of the opening period, when he controlled the puck behind the net and passed it to Ryan Suter, who then found him wide-open on the right side and fed it back to him. Legwand fired a
one-timed shot into the net for 1-0 lead and for his third goal this post-season.
Kesler pulled an equaliser, 1-1, for the Canucks just one minute into the middle session. During a power play, Kesler took advantage when Rinne left the crease and overplayed a move by Christian Ehrhoff on his right side. Ehrhoff found Kesler behind
the goalie and sent a short pass into the crease for Kesler, who easily tapped the puck home.
Vancouver took a two-goal edge, 2-1, just three minutes into the third period, when Rinne was spread out on his stomach after attempting for a save, but failed to block Higgins' blast shot from the far side of the right circle.
Ward knotted it at 2-2 for the Predators with less than seven minutes left in the final period. After a face-off in the Canucks zone, the puck trickled behind the net and Ward brought it around to Luongo's right side. He ripped a shot through scramble
in front that redirected off a skate and found the other side of the net, sending the game into overtime.
Kesler then drew a penalty in the extra-session and sealed the win at 3-2 at 10:45 mark, as he was in front of the net, screening Rinne, when he redirected home a Mikael Samuelsson’s shot from the point. The Predators' Captain, Shea Weber, was in the
penalty box for hooking charge after battling with Kesler on the side boards. The goal was confirmed after a replay that showed Kesler squeezing Weber's stick under his arm.
"He chicken-winged the stick and kept moving, and really if you look at it, Webs is pushing on him, trying to pull his stick out of there," Trotz said. "I've seen it before. One of the earlier games, he drew a couple penalties like that by chicken-winging
the stick and just holding it there and keep moving and see if he can sell it."
The Predators' Coach, Barry Trotz, called it a bad penalty. He also credited Kesler with selling the penalty.
Tags: