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Nashville Predators 1, Dallas Stars 0: 100% Juice, 100% Saves

The Nashville Predators squared off against the Dallas Stars Saturday Afternoon in Dallas. Juuse Saros started in net for the Predators while Ben Bishop sought to stop the offensive onslaught of pucks for the Stars. The teams last met on Thursday in Nashville, where the Predators found victory with a 2-0 win. The win featured power play goals from Filip Forsberg and Matt Duchene and stellar goaltending by Juuse Saros. The Predators sought to string some wins together in order to keep their playoff hopes alive. The Western Conference wild card race is incredibly tight and wins are the only way the team can keep the dream of the postseason alive.

What Happened

  • Dallas turns their neon star gold and blue during the moment of silence for the victims of the Tennessee tornadoes. Very classy./

  • Mattias Ekholm finds iron after a sustained stay in the attack zone for the Predators.
  • Very aggressive look for the Predators so far. Rick Bowness promised the Stars would be much more desperate today after not matching Nashville’s desperation on Thursday. (which seems a little backhanded, but whatever)
  • So, when Korbinian Holzer, Jarred Tinordi, and Yakov Trenin are all on the ice together, it looks pretty intimidating.
  • Jarred Tinordi and Corey Perry, who assaulted Ryan Ellis at the Winter Classic, got together, but nothing worthwhile happened. /

  • Even though gloves are dropped, just roughing for both. 4-on-4 for 2 minutes.
  • Jamie Benn skates into Roman Josi a little too hard after the whistle and the two exchange words. Probably going to see some of the rough stuff if one of these teams jumps out to an early lead. /

  • 4-on-4 expires with no change in the score, but heavy pressure from the Predators.
  • Nick Bonino draws a penalty on John Klingberg and the Predators head to the power play.
  • After the Klingberg penalty expires, Dallas has some sustained pressure in the offensive zone. Filip Forsberg finally breaks loose on a breakaway, but Ben Bishop makes the save.
  • Jarred Tinordi, playing on-ice GM, tried to add Corey Perry to the Nashville bench. No one makes room for him. Soon after, Perry gets into Trenin and Trenin gets back into Perry too hard and gets called for roughing. The Stars will have their first power play./

  • The Predators have successfully killed the penalty, but no one on the visiting team is happy with the referees as the first period ends with no score for either team./

  • Mikael Granlund threw a shot in just after entering the zone, Colton Sissons tipped it, but Bishop was able to to stop it.
  • Sissons just had an incredible chance all alone in front of the net, just couldn’t get control.
  • And then Calle Jarnkrok deflected a puck into Bishop, who did a spin-o-rama to keep the puck from dribbling into the net.
  • Korbinian Holzer and Radek Faksa get together after a solid hit on Faksa and both head to the penalty box for some more 4-on-4 action.
  • Absolute lights-out play by Filip Forsberg turns into a 3-on-1 in front of Ben Bishop, but Forsberg can’t make good on his shot.
  • Both penalties expire and this has turned into a good hard-playing hockey game between teams with bad blood.
  • Nashville heads to the power play after Jamie Oleksiak is called for interference as the goal gets knocked off its moorings.
  • BOOOOOM! Ryan Ellis ROCKETS one past Ben Bishop for a power play goal and puts the Predators up 1-0! (assists by Matt Duchene and Viktor Arvidsson)/

  • Calle Jarnkrok had a chance all alone in front of Bishop, but took a second too long to get control and fired a shot right into Bishop’s chest.
  • Roman Josi will head to the penalty box for a justified act of retaliation against Corey Perry, who just slashed Josi’s legs seconds before. The refs call it “high sticking”, but I call it “justice”. [Ed.: OTF does not endorse hitting people specifically in the head area.]
  • On the power play, Dallas keeps falling down like soccer players.
  • Juuse Saros has been absolutely assaulted with shots after Dallas decides to stop rolling around on the ground. He’s killing it.
  • Power play expires without incident.
  • Forsbeg waits for Arvidsson to enter the zone and sends him a beautiful pass, but Arvidsson had too much speed and over-skated it. /

  • Great stop by Mattias Ekholm!
  • Jamie Benn bumps into everyone on his way through the blue ice after the whistle.
  • Dallas is spending more time in the offensive zone than I’d really like to see right now.
  • Saros looks incredibly cool under pressure.
  • Corey Perry took a shot from Ryan Ellis and seems ready to head down the tunnel.
  • Just watching this Dallas shot counter ticking up.
  • Roope Hintz is a large man. But no match for Holzer AND Tinordi.
  • Ben Bishop is looking at the bench.
  • The Dallas net is empty.
  • Klingberg hits the crossbar and flies upward. Fortune smiled on Nashville there.
  • Nick Bonino tries for an arching shot at the net.
  • Granlund tries a shot from the neutral zone.
  • THAT’S GAME!
  • The Predators come away with a big win against the Dallas Stars./

Shaun’s Golden Heroes of the Afternoon

3. The combination of Korbinian Holzer, Jarred Tinordi, and Yakov Trenin – able to play big boy hockey with the big boys and keep the Corey Perrys of the world away from the net.

2. Ryan Ellis – Game-winning power play goal. It was the only goal of the game and the only the one they needed.

1. Juuse Saros – Monster game. Made it look easy.

(thanks to Rachel K for the title)