Why Nashville Predators lost the Semi-Finals to Phoenix Coyotes –NHL Playoffs Special
Breaking the quarterfinal barrier back in 2011, Nashville Predators were set to move on into the Western Conference Finals this time around but as Phoenix Coyotes slammed down hard in Game 5, it shattered all their hopes and dreams of ever making a run for
the Stanley Cup.
After being eliminated by the Vancouver Canucks in Game 6 of the 2011 National Hockey League (NHL) Playoff Semi-Finals, Nashville was content in the fact that they made it to the second round and was ousted by a team that played for the Stanley Cup.
Now, the situation was totally different and Predators had to move forward or else they could face the wrath of a impatient fan base.
What disappointed Nashville the most was not the fact they failed to win but the point when they failed to capitalise on a number of wide open opportunities on Phoenix’s goalie, Mike Smith.
"They found a way to keep the puck out of the net," Predators coach, Barry Trotz, said. "In the end, we had enough chances to win this series, but we didn't win. We couldn't bury anything past Smith."
"That is kind of how the series went," Predators defenseman, Ryan Suter, added. "We didn't capitalize on their chances and they came back and it ended up in the back of our net."
Here are some reasons why Nashville Predators were eliminated:
Lack of Offensive Power
Nashville Predators are without a doubt, one of the best defensive teams in the league. Having players like Shea Weber on the squad is more talent than a team could ask for but Nashville has always lacked firepower and quality shooting capability.
Phoenix on the other hand, was well equipped in both departments, which ultimately gave them that crucial edge over the opposition.
They only had 9 goals throughout the series against Phoenix while Coyotes dominated with 12. Not only that, Predators scored just three goals in the final three contests, out of which one was a complete shutout while they only put up a quality fight in the
first two contests.
Wrong Decisions
Nashville’s head coach, Barry Trotz, did good by banning his two out of six of his top forwards, Andrei Kostitsyn and Alexander Radulov for one-game, but keeping them out for a second just for the heck of it really cost the Predators big time.
Yes, they violated curfew rules and needed to be disciplined but keeping them out for more than one game despite the single night ban, just was not logical in any sense.
The views expressed in this article are the writer's own and in no way represent Bettor.com's official editorial policy.
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