Rinne, Predators hold off Blues for 3-1 series lead Nashville wins, 2-1

The Nashville Predators were looking to hunt down the St. Louis Blues for their third win of the series and one win closer to the Western Conference Finals.

This matchup would start off very psychical with many scoring chances coming at both ends of the ice.

The shots were kept low with many blocked shots and lots of psychical play from each team defending their respective nets.

After two periods of play the game produced everything it had to offer from big hits, penalties, scoring chances,  jaw dropping plays, and stellar goaltending; but neither team could buy themselves a goal.

The third period would prove to be different.

Just a quarter of the way through the third period Ryan Ellis found the back of the net off a rebound from a shot by Colin Wilson.

Not only did Ellis score his fourth goal of the playoffs, but he added another point to tie an NHL record of a point per a game in the past seven games.

“It was just another fortunate bounce,” Ellis said. “We took a shot, it got blocked, and everyone was kind of looking for it. I was on the other side of the pile. The guys on the ice did a terrific job, not only battling for the puck, but creating a screen, creating a scramble. I was just the fortunate guy on the right side.”

With just under seven minutes left in the game James Neal picked off a pass from the Blues defender and picked a corner on the surprised Jake Allen to bury his second of the playoffs, and second goal of the night for the Predators.

“I think as the games go on here, they’re just going to get tougher and tougher,” Neal said. “We were ready for their push and their best game, and I thought we did a good job overall.”

The Blues would score one of their own from Joel Edmundson with his third of the playoffs off a blocked shot that was fired from the point by Alexander Steen.

“For the most part, I thought we had a pretty good game,” the Blues’ Ryan Reaves said. “We got more shots. I think we’ve got to get in Rinne’s face a little bit more, more bodies to the net. It wasn’t a bad game by us. I thought we had some pretty good pushes. Obviously, we’ve got to bear down on a lot more of our chances, but we take a lot of positives out of this and we go back home and get to work.”

Pekka Rinne made 32 saves to get the win for the Preds.

“That’s something that it would be too easy to go too far ahead of in our heads, but obviously that’s something that you think about. It would be huge for this organization and for us players and this city in general,” Rinne said after the win. “Everybody who’s been here to see these fans and how amazing they are and how they’re really hungry for that next round, and so are we. We keep saying this, but it’s going to be the biggest game of the season next game.”

[WATCH: All Blues vs. Predators highlights | RELATED: Complete St. Louis vs. Nashville series coverage]

Allen made 23 saves in taking the loss.

It was too little too late for the Blues who lost the game 2-1, but fell two games behind in the series to give the Predators a 3-1 series lead.

“Got to find a way to put the puck in the back of the net. [Predators goalie Pekka Rinne is] making good saves, he’s playing well. Both goalies are playing really well. We’ve just got to find a way to get a couple behind him. The power play’s got to be better,” St Louis’ Alex Pietrangelo said as the teams head to St Louis for Game 5.

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