If I were the Winnipeg Jets, I’d be looking for a DeLorean hiding somewhere in Bell MTS Place because last night’s 2-1 Nashville win in Game Four was a “Back to the Future… moment. I kept expecting someone to rip their Preds sweater off and reveal the New Jersey Devils circa 1996 jersey underneath. The Nashville Predators clogged the neutral zone so well that I had to drag out the “left wing lock… and (shudder) “neutral zone trap… terms.
The Nashville Predators played the perfect road game for 57:58… and thankfully for Pred Nation, 57:58 was enough to squeak out a series saving win. This best-of-seven is now all square at 2... it’s a best of three now, with Nashville potentially hosting two of them. Smashville will be out in full force, bringing the noise “from speakers or music or live bands,… you know, like we always do. But before we get to game five…
The definition of insanity is doing the same thing and expecting a different result, so Preds head coach Peter Laviolette decided to shake things up a bit in his lineup, replacing Kevin Fiala with Scott Hartnell on the second line. It proved to be a stoke of genius as Hartnell brought a physical force that seemed to knock Winnipeg off their game… and that physicality was spread across the lineup. Hits from Hartnell, Ryan Hartman, PK Subban, MIikka Salomaki and Colton Sissons separated the Jets from the puck over and over again and kept the high-flying Jets offense grounded for the most part.
Oh… that and Pekka Rinne. I wrote this yesterday…
There has been some criticism of Pekka Rinne for taking a slash toward the end of the game. It was a rare public show of frustration from the normally unflappable Finn. It may have been a great move on Rinne’s part. It is only the second time I have seen Rinne show that kind of emotion, expressing his clear displeasure at the team in front of him. Make no mistake… Pekka Rinne is a leader on this team, when he shows that kind of public emotion, it should have an impact.
Leaders lead with action… and Pekka Rinne did that all night long. Rinne was his controlled self, even taking a punch from Andrew Copp that should’ve drawn a penalty, instead of the stern talking to the Jets forward received. It was vintage Rinne, playing within the 4x6… flashing the leather and making the key save at the key time. The team followed that lead…
After an epic meltdown in game three, the Predators lineup deserves a lot of credit for maintaining their discipline in game four. They were focused, they were structured, and they took the vaunted Winnipeg crowd out of the game… so much so that the Winnipeg fans got into chanting contests, section against section because there was nothing to cheer for on the ice… and I thought Winnipeg’s mayor said that they had no need for such “sideshows.… Hmmmmm…
Oh yeah… discipline… It was the one thing that could derail an outstanding effort, and just in case Nashville needed a reminder… a late penalty gave Winnipeg life. An ill-advised cross-checking penalty whistled on PK Subban with 2:02 left in the game put the lethal Jets power play on the ice and pulling Connor Hellebuyck made it a 6-on-4. It took 71 seconds for Winnipeg to find the back of the net as Patrik Laine (remember him?) finally got his first goal of this series, halving the lead and sending Pred Nation in search of defibrillators as a preventative measure. They may have gotten some use as Winnipeg got one final chance with less than a second to go, a shot that went just inches wide of the net and could’ve crushed Nashville almost perfect road game… series turn on such plays… but Nashville got the win, tying the series.
And there was much rejoicing…
It’s a brand new series for these two teams and both can take some real positives and some real concerns from the game.
For Winnipeg, they have to be concerned about blown opportunities. They have caught the Predators at their undisciplined worst and couldn’t capitalize on it. That and puck luck has been on the Jets’ side in the first three games of this series, last night, from the Rinne save with the knob of his stick that had been jarred from his hands, to the puck bouncing over Mark Scheifele’s stick on a 2-on1 breakaway in the second period along with other examples, they did not get the bounces. The Jets also will need to scheme a way to break down what Nashville threw at them defensively last night. On the positive… Patrik Laine finally got on the board in this series, after being held without a goal for almost four games, Laine got his first and almost got another as time expired. That is something for the Jets to hold on to… and something for Nashville to be concerned about.
For the Predators, the Laine concern aside, they need to bring the same discipline, the same physicality to game five. You saw that when you initiate with the Jets, it has an impact. The Predators forecheck was on point and the Preds special teams were re-energized. The power play actually featured some crisp passing and good movement, looking better than it has all series.
So… it’s back to even… no one has won anything yet and one of these teams goes back to Winnipeg with a chance to close the series out on Monday night. Game five in Smashville is tomorrow night. It’s an 8:30pm game time. Pregame on 102.5 the Game gets going at 7:30pm… TV coverage will be on NBC Sports Net and will begin at the conclusion of the Washington/Pittsburgh game.
Here’s the highlights…
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The Playoff Tracker … a daily update of the Stanley Cup Playoffs brought to you by Mark Lonsway - THE real estate professional for hockey fans!
Three of the four series are tied at 2 and I wouldn’t be surprised if all four of them are tied by 9pm tonight.
Eastern Conference Tampa Bay Lightning vs Boston Bruins – TBL leads 2-1 - Game four is tonight in BOS Washington Capitals vs. Pittsburgh Penguins – Series tied at 2 - Game five is tomorrow in PIT
Western Conference Nashville Predators vs. Winnipeg Jets – Series tied at 2 - Game five is tomorrow night in NSH Vegas Golden Knights vs. San Jose Sharks – Series tied 2-2 - Game five is tonight in VGK
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Random Notes
- Scott Hartnell’s presence was felt last night, especially knocking Dustin Byfuglien off his game.
- Bad late penalty aside, PK Subban was an absolute force on the ice last night in one of his best playoff games in gold.
- Ryan Hartman was also outstanding, a big goal, a big save in the third period… an excellent game for him.
- Nick Bonino is having him a series… he seems to be in the right place at the right time to make the solid play. It may not show on the scoreboard, but he has been outstanding.
- Underrated move... Yannick Weber returned to the lineup and played a very solid game.
- No practice between games three and four, another good move from Lavy… the team, especially the blueline seemed re-energized.
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