This is becoming a familiar playoff situation… the Predators have gone on the road and stolen two against a heavily favored opponent and find themselves with an opportunity to put a stranglehold on a series. You know the story… last year, Anaheim came into Smashville and took two from the Preds, driving the series to seven before Nashville ultimately prevailed… But the Chicago Blackhawks are not last year’s Anaheim Ducks… they are a better team… MUCH better.
Don’t buy the wailing and gnashing of teeth coming from the Windy City media… The Hawks now need to win two inside the hostile confines of Bridgestone Arena. Think that’s tough? Not for this team… this franchise has been in this situation many times before, and came away with series victories. The Hawks have won two road games in their last four playoff series… they have won at least one in their last 18 playoff series. They have traditionally been an excellent road team... they should be confident… and the Predators need to remain wary.
Nashville cannot come into tonight’s game with a different mindset than they did in games one and two just because they are up in the series and at home. They have made that mistake before... and barely lived to tell the tale.
The Blackhawks are an embarrassed team right now… adding getting booed off the ice to their performance in the first two games of this series and that is the result for a proud team with a championship pedigree. That embarrassment makes them even more dangerous than that pedigree and their talent level would make them. That means the Preds need to channel the energy of what is sure to be an insane atmosphere in Smashville tonight, channel it for the kind of start they have had in the first two games of this series.
The physical nature of this series has knocked the Blackhawks for a bit of a loop in the first two games… the hits need to keep on comin’ and keep coming in the well-timed fashion that they have been. The Preds can’t do any running around, well placed, timely hitting has been the under told story of this playoff so far and Nashville will need to continue it.
It should be completely nuts at Bridgestone Arena tonight. There is a plaza party tonight, doors open at 6:30pm… game time is 8:30pm. Coverage on CNBC, Fox Sports Tennessee and 102.5 the Game.
See you in Smashville…
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Playoff Status
Eastern Conference
Washington vs. Toronto – Series tied 1-1 – Game 3 – tonight night in Totonto
Montreal vs. New York – MTL leads 2-1 – Game 4 – tomorrow in New York
Ottawa vs. Boston – Series tied 1-1 – Game 3 – tonight in Boston
Pittsburgh vs. Columbus – PIT leads 3-0 – Game 4 – tomorrow in Columbus
Western Conference
Chicago vs. Nashville – NSH leads 2-0 – Game 3 tonight in Nashville
Anaheim vs. Calgary – ANA leads 2-0 – Game 3 – tonight in Calgary
Minnesota vs. St. Louis – STL leads 3-0 – Game 4 – Wednesday in St. Louis
Edmonton vs. San Jose – EDM leads 2-1 – Game 4 – tomorrow in San Jose
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Playoff Random Notes
- No discipline for Ryan Hartman’s butt end to Craig Smith’s head late in game two? Really???
- As Adam Vingan notes in today’s Tennesseean, this is the first back-to-back road shutouts in 16 seasons. Yikes…
- The big question tonight… Do the Blackhawks start Scott Darling tonight? It would be a desperation move by a desperate team… blaming Corey Crawford would be insane.
- Pittsburgh and St. Louis have 3-0 leads… to this observer, both are unexpected…
- Former UAH netminder has back-to-back shutouts as well as Edmonton has shut out the Sharks in the last two games to take home ice back in their series.
- Four games in the NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs tonight, all times CST – 6pm - OTT @ BOS (CNBC), WSH @ TOR (NBCSN). 8:30pm – CHI @ NSH (CNBC). 9pm – ANA @ CGY (NBCSN).
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