NASHVILLE, Tenn – The Nashville Predators returned to “Smashville” with their series knotted at one game apiece on Tuesday night. Their 2-1 overtime win over the weekend in Vancouver shocked the Canucks and sent them to the road tied with the Predators in a series they certainly felt they had the advantage in.
Ryan Kessler’s name was called all night and he figured in the game winning goal from start to finish.
At 10:05 of the extra session, Kessler drew a hooking penalty on the Predators’ Shea Weber in the offensive zone. Forty second later Kessler was tipping in a shot from inside the blue line off the stick of Christian Ehrhoff. The puck was redirected first by Mikael Samuelsson.
David Legwand had opened the scoring on a short-handed goal to the delight of 17,113 fans in Smashville.
That goal stood up until Kessler got his first of the post season after the Canucks had reversed a Nashville rush in the Vancouver zone. Kessler finished off a series of passes as he camped in the crease and knocked in the puck for the tying score at 1:00 of the second period. The goal came on a Vancouver power play.
Through most of the second period the Predators were unable to mount much of an offensive threat and not until late in the period did they get their first shot of the period. Through two periods they were outshot 24-12.
Despite the lack of offense the Predators were able to hold off the Canucks until 3:03 of the third when Chris Higgins took a pass from the defensive zone and rushed the Preds/ net. His shot was steered to the left corner but he followed the puck and took a shot from the top of the left circle and beat Pekka Rinne for a 2-1 lead.
But with 13:18 gone in the period Joel Ward pursued the puck off an offensive zone faceoff around the back of the cage and wrapped a shot around the post that beat Roberto Luongo and tied the game at two apiece.
Vancouver had the better of the play through the rest of the final stanza and carried that momentum into the extra session.
Game four in the series is set for Thursday and now the Predators are in a must-win position and avoid heading back to Vancouver in 3-1 hole.
Contact Lou.Lafrado@prohockeynews.com
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