Nashville Predators defenceman P.K. Subban (76) and center Ryan Johansen (92) celebrate the win in double overtime.Christopher Hanewinckel/Reuters
The Nashville Predators had a powerful motivating force behind them Sunday night.
They knew if they were to stay alive in this rollicking, pounding playoff series against the Winnipeg Jets there was no way the Predators could head into Winnipeg for Game 3 on Tuesday down two games. Winnipeg is simply death for visiting teams – the Jets won 32 of their 41 games at Bell MTS Place in the NHL regular season.
Trying to get back in this second-round, Western Conference playoff series by winning both of the next two games in Winnipeg is not a task for the faint of heart. The Jets have a 12-game winning streak right now at Bell MTS Place going back to the regular season.
When the Jets’ Mark Scheifele scored his second goal of the game with one minute, five seconds left in the third period to force overtime, it was a devastating body shot in what had become a hard-hitting, fast fight between two equally big and powerful opponents.
The Predators came on strong in overtime only to be pushed back by the goaltending of the Jets’ Connor Hellebuyck, who had been a little off-form in regulation time. At the same time, their own goaltender, Pekka Rinne, discovered his game after similar struggles and held off the equally determined Jets.
Then, at 5:37 of the second overtime period, Predators forward Kevin Fiala sent the Bridgestone Arena crowd into an even louder state of bedlam, if that were possible, with the winning goal in a 5-4 decision to tie the series. Game 3 is Tuesday night in Winnipeg.
“It’s huge, a big difference being 2-0 or 1-1,” Rinne said of avoiding a second loss. “Obviously we’ll take this. It was an emotional game and now it’s time to go on the road and we need to steal a couple of wins in their building.”
After their big line of Ryan Johansen, Filip Forsberg and Viktor Arvidsson was held in check in Game 1 despite outshooting the Jets by a wide margin, the trio took control in Game 2. The big line produced eight points collectively, with Johansen scoring two goals and Arvidsson one. P.K. Subban scored the other goal for Nashville.
Dustin Byfuglien and Brandon Tanev scored the other Jets goals.
“I think we worked hard. We just support each other and played in the [offensive] zone a lot,” Arvidsson said of his line’s game. “So I feel like that was a big part, and we got the pucks deep. Played a simple game and put pucks to the net, and that’s when we’re good.’’
The Predators did what they wanted to at the start of the game, getting on top of the Jets in their own end. They quickly started cycling the puck and the Jets, who talked a lot about how they needed to handle that starting push, stood around and watched.
Johansen and Forsberg were given way too much time in the slot and Forsberg was able to kick the puck to his stick and feed Johansen. With Arvidssen providing a screen on goaltender Connor Hellebuyck, Johansen buried a high shot just 27 seconds into the game.
That broke a 10-game streak by the Jets of scoring first, which went back to the regular season. It also signaled a big night for the Predators’ first line.
Earlier in the day, Forsberg fended off questions about pressure on the Predators’ top line, which was blanked by the Jets in the first game.
“You obviously want to contribute and, yeah, obviously it’s a good thing that you have the responsibility,” he said. “But you have to produce as well.”
By the third period, the line’s domination was well-established. After Tanev scored for the Jets to tie the score 3-3, Johansen scored 34 seconds later at 5:45 to put Nashville in front again.
While the Jets went into the second period with a 2-1 lead, their inability to stay out of the penalty box and some bad luck (Patrick Laine hit two goal posts) saw the Predators take over in the second.
The Predators power play, blanked three times in the first game, broke through at 5:04 of the second period when Subban got all of his stick on a one-timer that was set up by Forsberg.
The goal woke up the crowd, one of the loudest in the NHL, and the atmosphere was back to deafening and electric. The Jets, though, pushed back hard only to find Rinne was back to being the Vezina Trophy-contender Rinne. He made a couple of good stops during the Jets flurry and the Predators got moving again.
By the time the second period was over, each side took three minor penalties but it was the Jets who again were taking the worst ones. When Matt Hendricks took an interference penalty (his second of the night) at 13:46, it was the Jets’ fourth penalty of the game in the offensive zone.
The Hendricks penalty was especially hurtful, as it wiped out a goal by Andrew Copp. After Rinne stopped Byfuglien on a breakaway, Copp scored on the rebound only to see the goal waved off because Hendricks knocked down Nashville defenceman Matt Irwin just as Copp fired the puck.
After the win, Subban shrugged off any suggestion the Predators would have been in trouble if the Jets had taken a 2-0 series lead.
“The series isn’t over until that final game is won,” he said. “And it doesn’t matter if you’re up in a series or down in a series, up in a game or down in a game, it can change on one play.
“I’m excited for our hockey club to go into that building, probably one of the toughest buildings to play in, and we’re going to gain a ton of experience from this, and I think we should all feel excited about it. And like I said, we’re going to get some rest and get ready for the toughest road trip of the season.”