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Nashville Predators 5, Chicago Blackhawks 2: Hurrah!

See you Saturday.

The Nashville Predators hockey club does not have a great record facing elimination. The Chicago Blackhawks are the stone cold closers of the playoffs, and have the banners to back it up. It was safe to say that this game had all the desperation in the corner of the upstarts from Music City.

The game got off to a frantic start, and did not feature enough stoppages to the allotted TV timeouts. Both the Predators and Blackhawks traded goals in the first, and for the Preds' sake it was a good thing they did so quickly. Chicago hasn't had a lead for much of this series, but they've shown that they can bodyguard the goaltender as good as any team not from Minnesota.

Nashville managed to survive the second period, and made it to the third. That's when Nashville deployed an

ABSOLUTE CAN OF WHOOP-ASS INSIDE THE TIREBARN AND MADE ALL KINDS OF PEOPLE HAPPY.

Random Observations

  • In the two games at Chicago, there wasn't a real feeling that Nashville was the better team. In the two games in Nashville to start the series, you didn't feel that Chicago was the superior team either. In this one, they just felt like two teams trading blows and staring at each other across the ring.
  • Cody Franson just got dusted by Brad Richards. The Rangers bought out Richards for getting old and being slow. I can't wait to see how good Cody meshes with Patrick Roy and the Avalanche's style next year.
  • Sure, blame Pekka all you want. But if you as a player know that your goalie is having trouble defending rushes in a playoff series, this is on you.
  • Seriously. Hal Gill might've played that better.
  • Forsberg's goal was vintage playoff hockey. He just flung it on net.
  • It's good seeing the NeRF line back together. And speaking of...
  • That Ribeiro hit on Kane. Heel move, Mike.
  • YES IT WAS CLEAN.
  • From that moment on, this was Nashville's game.
  • They scored a bunch in the third.
  • Forsberg got a hat trick. It was good. Other beautiful men named Colin Wilson and James Neal scored too before leaving the building.

OTF's Super Duper Stars of the Game

  • MIKE RIBEIRO. That's the guy the Preds are now going to have to sign. That's the Mike Ribeiro that I haven't seen in my life. That's the Mike Ribeiro that makes stuff happen.
  • Filip Forsberg. Because the kid was pissed off and took it out on his old roommate. Story of my life.
  • James Neal. Because James Neal.

Tweets That Are Worth Your Attention

If I can include tweets from pro wrestling couples who happen to live here and Phil Jackson talking about my beloved hockey team, I'm damn sure gonna do it.

BUT CHECK THIS OUT.

Go on...

Notice the time stamps...

Hopefully we see them again on Monday.

Boxscore - Game Summary - Event Summary - War-on-Ice - HockeyStats - Natural Stat Trick

Roll the video highlights...


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