You hate to call a non-elimination game a must-win, but tonight has all the makings of one. A win evens the series at two a piece, but a loss gives Vancouver a 3-1 edge heading back to British Columbia, and forces the Predators to win three games in a row, a near-impossible task against the best team in the NHL during the regular season.
The Predators' series with the Canucks has been the complete opposite of what we saw against Anaheim. We've gone from a series where 5-4 games were the norm, to one in which we haven't even had a team hit the 4 goal mark yet. All 3 games have been won by the hardest working team, and there's no reason to believe tonight won't be any different.
Trotz has an interesting decision tonight in the lineup. Steve Sullivan is out with a lower-body injury, so that means we'll see either JP Dumont, Colin Wilson, or Cal O'Reilly take the ice, although I highly doubt we'll see the latter. There also is the possibility that we could see the lines shuffled even more, as the Hornqvist, Fisher, Kostitsyn line has been largely ineffective during this series.
The Preds continue to venture through uncharted waters here in the second round, and they'll be looking to continue what has become the greatest run in franchise history. This season has been memorable, but I don't think anyone wants it to end any time soon.
Projected Lineups:
Nashville: I'm gonna go ahead and say Colin Wilson gets the nod tonight over JP Dumont.
Vancouver:
