On SlapShot Radio this past Wednesday, Zack made an observation that the Preds needed a real comeback win, a confidence boost that would help propel them into the playoffs… well… check that one off the list as Nashville gave up two goals in the first period, including another late period goal before getting to work, chopping away at the Vancouver lead, halving it in the second then scoring two wild goals in the last 4 and a half minutes to take a 3-2 win over the Canucks and take over sole possession of first place in the Central.
Every Predators goal was a tad controversial in last night tilt.
Every. Single. One.
The Preds first goal came :37 seconds into the second period as Colton Sissons picked up a loose puck in the high slot, two quick strides and a wrister that squeezed through Canuck’s goaltender Jacob Markstrom’s pads. The whistle blew as Markstrom thought he had the puck, but it kept moving and after a review, the officials awarded the goal to Nashville.
The NHL Situation Room explained it like this…
At 0:37 of the second period in the Canucks/Predators game, the Situation Room initiated a video review to further examine a play at the Vancouver net. Video review determined that Colton Sissons' original shot completely crossed the Vancouver goal line as the culmination of a continuous play where the result was unaffected by the whistle.
The ruling was made in accordance with Rule 38.4 (ix), which reads in part, "The video review process shall be permitted to assist the Referees in determining the legitimacy of all potential goals… include situations whereby the Referee stops play or is in the process of stopping the play because he has lost sight of the puck and it is subsequently determined by video review that the puck crosses (or has crossed) the goal line and enters the net as the culmination of a continuous play where the result was unaffected by the whistle (i.e., the timing of the whistle was irrelevant to the puck entering the net at the end of a continuous play)."
Good goal Nashville.
Wow… that actually makes sense!
The game remained 2-1 until late in the third period as the Predators finally tied up the game with 4:40 left on Nick Bonino goal, banging home a rebound as Austin Watson slid into the ‘Nuck’s netminder.
Annnnnd… here comes the coach’s challenge for goaltender interference.
As “Let It Be” played and Smashville had their cell phones out… the play was reviewed and honestly… I thought it could go either way, given how inconsistent these challenge results have been. So… let’s go to the situation room for their explanation…
At 15:40 of the third period in the Canucks/Predators game, Vancouver requested a Coach's Challenge to review whether Nashville's Austin Watson interfered with goaltender Jacob Markstrom prior to Nick Bonino's goal.
After reviewing all available replays and consulting with the Referees, the Situation Room determined that the actions of Vancouver's Jake Virtanen caused Watson to contact Markstrom before the puck crossed the goal line. The decision was made in accordance with Note 2 of Rule 78.7 (ii) which states, in part, that the goal should be allowed because "the attacking Player was pushed, shoved or fouled by a defending Player causing the attacking Player to come into contact with the goalkeeper."
Therefore the original call stands - good goal Nashville Predators.
Since the Coach's Challenge did not result in the original call being overturned, the Vancouver Canucks forfeit their time-out.
Ummmm… OK… I’ll take it and again… I could’ve seen this one go either way.
So… now we have a tie game, Bridgestone Arena was rockin’ and the Predators kept pushing, hemming the Canucks in their own end and testing Jacob Markstrom on chance after chance… until the JoFA line struck, Ryan Johansen gathering the puck in the slot and looking to pass to a wide open Viktor Arvidsson… the backhand pass went off of Canucks defenseman Troy Stetcher and in the net for the game winner. Or was it… one more time the play was challenged… this time by the Situation Room for a potential offside call…
But before “Let It Be” could really get going again, the linesman completed his review and confirmed the call on the ice… time to go to the situation room again…
At 19:39 of the third period in the Canucks/Predators game, the Situation Room initiated a review under the terms of a Coach's Challenge to review whether Nashville was off-side prior to Ryan Johansen's goal.
After NHL Hockey Operations staff reviewed all available replays and consulted with the Linesmen, the call on the ice was upheld - good goal Nashville Predators.
OK… now that one was a no brainer… but I can’t remember the last time the Predators had three goals challenged in a single game… let alone win every one of them. Lost in the controversy was the fact that the Preds created their bounces with hard work and … resiliency… something that this team has just recently found again.
There is no resting on Saturday night… the Predators have a chance to capture their second consecutive Central Division title with any win over Chicago, no matter what else happens… Bridgestone Arena should be crazed for the regular season finale.
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The
Where We Stand section
Things fell well for the Nashville Predators last night. Until play begins at 3pm Saturday afternoon, the Preds are all alone at the top of the Central Division. They lead both 2nd place Winnipeg and 3rd place St. Louis by one point.
Nashville has clinched their playoff spot and currently holds the 2 seed in the Western Conference playoff race. Here is the way the Western Conference playoffs would look if they started today, the team with home ice advantage is listed first…
1P Calgary vs WC2 Colorado
1C Nashville vs. WC1 Dallas
2C Winnipeg vs. 3C St. Louis
2P San Jose vs 3P Vegas (This series is already locked in as the teams have clinched these slots)
The percentages really don’t matter now, if the Predators win in any fashion on Saturday night, they capture their second consecutive division crown and have home ice against anyone in the West except Calgary.
Who’s In – Who’s Close
East – Tampa Bay, Washington, Boston, the New York Islanders and Toronto have punched their playoff ticket. The Pittsburgh Penguins and Carolina Hurricanes clinched their playoff spot last night leaving one battle remaining… Columbus and Montreal are tied with 94 points… Columbus has a game in hand.
West – Calgary, Winnipeg, Nashville, San Jose, Vegas, St. Louis, Dallas and now Colorado are in. Arizona gave it a good run, but fell just a bit short… now the battle is for position as only San Jose and Vegas know their playoff opponent.
Impact Games Tonight
7:30pm – DAL @ CHI – Dallas can lock down the first Wild Card spot with a win tonight in the Windy City and if they follow it up with a win at home tomorrow, they could sneak into third place in the Central.
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Random Notes
- Milwaukee Update –The Admirals are back in action tonight at home against Chicago.
- Surprise – The Vancouver media were surprisingly muted in their reaction to last night’s game, focusing on Markstrom’s strong outing.
- Psych! – The game winner last night initially looked like it was scored by Arvy, the referee even called it for him at the box, but replays clearly showed it went off Stetcher.
- Dominate the Dot – The Predators won 57% of the face-off last night… winning 60% in the second and 67% in the third.
- Stick in the mud – Besides the 0-fer on the power play, the Preds had 17 giveaways last night, 8 of them coming from Johansen and Mattias Ekholm… very unusual for those two players.
- Division Decider – Three of the four division crowns are decided as Washington clinched their 4th straight Metro title last night. The Central is the only one left.
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