It’s over, folks. It’s been virtually over for weeks, but tonight the curtain finally fell on the Nashville Predators’ playoff hopes, as they fell to the Dallas Stars in a shootout, 3-2. The loss drops Nashville’s record to 2-9 in shootouts this season.
Gabriel Bourque scored twice to tie the game up for the Preds on both occasions, and the team fought through some dire circumstances in the third period to keep their fading playoff hopes alive, but they couldn’t close the deal in the third period, overtime, or the shootout.
Next up, the Preds host Phoenix Thursday evening at Bridgestone Arena.
Random Observations
- You know the old phrase “trying not to do too much out there”? That’s what happened on the opening goal, as Seth Jones completely left his post in order to pursue Vern Fiddler along the boards, leaving a wide lane for Alex Goligoski to step into his shot.
- One of the bright spots of the season has been Craig Smith’s rebound, as he’s become the team’s most consistently dangerous forward. Hopefully he has another gear to kick into next season.
- How huge was that 5-on-3 penalty kill midway through the third period with the game tied 2-2?
- Pekka Rinne made several quality saves to keep the Preds in it, which was encouraging./
Boxscore – Game Summary – Event Summary – Fancy Stats
Roll the video highlights…