It’s a tied series, folks. Games 3 and 4 loom large on the horizon, with Game 5 to follow at 9PM Central on Tuesday.
Nashville Predators
The Preds were looking for a response in Game 2, and they certainly showed up to play. Three big goals and an empty-netter against the steady Canucks placed some doubt in the minds of Vancouver fans.
I appreciated this frank quote from Coach Brunetten after Tuesday’s game: “I thought in the third period we were committed to the pain. And I think that’s maybe something from Game 1 we learned from a little bit, where maybe we weren’t quite as committed to the pain. I thought tonight with the blocked shots and the things that we did sacrificing our body, we learned. And we’re still growing. We’re not where we want to be, but we’re getting better. And tonight was a good step.”
This means that TONIGHT (yes, tonight) is the next good step that Nashville can take. With the arrival of Juuso Pärsinnen from Milwaukee, one has to wonder what “Bruno” might be cooking up. One area that Pärsinnen specializes in is his net-front presence. He’s not massively large, but he knows how to fight for pucks in corners and in front of opposing goaltenders. Is that part of the plan, or am I overreacting? Both? Probably. Jaret Anderson-Dolan, Tyson Barrie, Dante Fabbro, Cody Glass, and Gustavs Grigals were scratched on Tuesday.
In 2017, a lot of noise was generated about home-ice advantage. It’s very clear that Nashville is one of the most difficult places to play in the playoffs thanks to the Smashville faithful. That home-ice advantage hasn’t worked out well in the last few seasons, but perhaps tonight is the start of something new. A solid Nashville win in front of a roaring crowd can easily change the momentum in this series.
Vancouver Canucks
The Canucks were left lamenting their efforts on Tuesday. While their fans were never really out of it, the home team at times looked a little lost until their third period push. I do not think their confidence is shaken, but things are certainly a little different with Casey DeSmith in net for Vancouver.
One can argue that Vancouver was beaten on Tuesday by flukey pucks and weird luck (and that argument was made here, though we think the Preds made their own luck), but the truth is that the Canucks are different without their starter Thatcher Demko and key defender Tyler Myers. That said, I do expect them to come out with a lot of fire tonight, and Nashville will have to withstand the inevitable onslaught.
There’s also this:
Reasons to Watch
- What else are you doing on a Friday night in late April?
- As I mention above, a raucous Nashville crowd + Friday night + your guys in gold = a recipe for a big, epic game.
Keep Your Eye on This Guy
For the Preds, it feels like Gustav Nyquist has been in Vancouver’s rearview mirror for the last two games. He most certainly makes an impact tonight.
For the Canucks, it’ll be Nikita Zadorov. He scored the only goal on Tuesday evening. He’s a physical presence and a legitimate scoring threat. I fully expect Zadorov to be Vancouver’s catalyst for this series.
Tonight’s Theme Song
How to Watch
Tonight’s puck drop is at 6:30, and that’s a heck of a lot better than 9:00. Bally Sports has the broadcast, but so does Max. 102.5 The Game has your radio call, as always.