It was, in the end, another familiar if not exactly comfortable experience: a back-and-forth nailbiter of a playoff elimination game, with the Predators coming up just short of extending their season. In this case, the dagger came with 99 seconds remaining in regulation on a Pius Suter goal that was facilitated by some admittedly beautiful passing around the back of the Preds’ net. Source ..read more

The Preds had a chance to stave off elimination again and force a high-pressure Game 7, but were unable to beat Canucks goalie Arturs Silovs, or, ultimately, themselves. Nashville opened the game strong with some zone time and a pair of good early chances from Anthony Beauvillier and Filip Forsberg, before yielding the zone to Vancouver with another one of the changes of pressure we’ve seen… Source ..read more

It’s do or die for the Nashville Predators…again. Down 3-2 in the series, they forced a Game 6 thanks to a heroic performance by Juuse Saros and some clutch third-period goals from Roman Josi and Alex Carrier, and are on their way back to Bridgestone to try to do it again. The Preds managed to get a power-play goal on Tuesday, which broke the ice and set them up for their eventual… Source ..read more

Oilers efficient in Game 5 win to close out Kings again in West 1st Round | NHL.comDominate special teams to eliminate Los Angeles for 3rd straight season Andersen, Ingram, Kylington named Masterton Trophy finalists | NHL.comHurricanes, Coyotes goalies, Flames defenseman up for award honoring perseverance, dedication to hockey Stanley Cup Playoffs Buzz: Matthews out for Maple Leafs… Source ..read more

Hughes, Josi, Makar named Norris Trophy finalists | NHL.comCanucks, Predators, Avalanche defensemen up for award given to top at position I’m pretty sure that this is why the Canucks fans in Rogers Arena have been booing Josi. Playoff Takeaways: Oettinger nearly unsolvable, Dallas pushes Vegas to brink of eliminationLed by goaltender Jake Oettinger, the Dallas Stars won their third… Source ..read more

All the way back in Game 1, we looked at how both teams seemed to be able to throw some good punches (no, not the chirpy kind, though we’ve seen some of those, too). There were a lot of stretches where it’d look like the Canucks and Predators were taking turns with skating sprints down to the other team’s goal line, with several long sieges by Vancouver of the Nashville goal. Source ..read more

Makar’s play in Western 1st Round no surprise to Avalanche teammates | NHL.comDefenseman has 8 points in 4 games; highlight-reel goal in Game 4 helped put Jets on brink Bedard, Faber, Hughes named Calder Trophy finalists | NHL.comBlackhawks center, Wild, Devils defensemen up for award given to top NHL rookie Panthers pull away in 3rd, eliminate Lightning with win in Game 5 | NHL. Source ..read more

The Preds entered a must-win game tonight and won it in dramatic comeback fashion. The teams traded chances early, with a good Nashville shift followed by a better Vancouver one, and the pattern repeating as the period went on. JT Miller, Brock Boeser, and Pius Suter regularly wreaked havoc in the Preds’ zone, while the Canucks were able to keep the Preds’ top line from generating the same… Source ..read more

It’s do or die for the Preds tonight, and we’ve got a late start to go with it. One interesting tidbit: if this game goes to multiple OTs, it’s probably safe to just go to bed and just check our recap and analysis in the morning. I can’t find a concise writeup of the phenomenon again, but teams that win a long way into the game very often win the series but lose the next game in the series–if… Source ..read more

Cooper, Lightning lament ‘unfair’ overturned goalsTwo goals, overturned because of goaltender interference, were “clearly a turning point” on Monday night, Tampa Bay coach Jon Cooper said, as the Lightning saw their season end with a 6-1 loss to the Florida Panthers in Game 5 of their first-round series. Unfortunately relatable. Playoff Takeaways: Stars earn second straight win to pull… Source ..read more