Nashville Predators: Decision Time Is Here
The Nashville Predators look to stay alive and force Game 7.
This was not how the series was supposed to go.
The Nashville Predators were up 2-0 in the series and now are down 3-2 and on the brink of elimination. There has been multiple reasons why the Predators have started to fall off in the series. If the team is as good as we believed they are, they must win Game 6. No if’s and’s or but’s.
Anaheim Ducks
The Ducks may be one of the luckiest teams in the league right now. Favorable calls, goals and almost all of the luck has sided with the Ducks. Even though the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim have gotten a lot of good bounces, they have clearly out skated and out played the Nashville Predators. Something told me that when the Ducks switched and place Frederik Anderson in net, it spelled out bad news for Nashville all over it.
The Ducks have shown a lot of veteran presence by not panicking and staying on course in this series. Lead by Captain Ryan Getzlaf, the Ducks have been excellent on the PK as they have only allowed one PP goal in 20 attempts. Anything and everything has turned to gold for the Anaheim Ducks in the past three games.
The Ducks will have to face a raucus Bridgestone Arena crowd come Monday night. Lets be honest, if they have done it twice and won both games, why can’t they do it? The Ducks will be all over the Predators again but Nashville will probably be a completely different team come Game 6 Monday night.
Nashville Predators
What happened?! The fans went from Heaven to Purgatory in the matter of three games. Maybe Craig Smith‘s injury in bigger to the impact of the Nashville Predators. Smith has been absent from the lineup since Game 4 but only had two shifts in Game 3. Smith had two points in two games but played a lot of good hockey while he was on the ice for the Preds.
A lot needs to change if Nashville wants to force a Game 7. Nashville MUST score on the PP and Nashville must also not commit any dumb penalties or make any defensive mistakes that results in easy goals for the Anaheim Ducks. There has been various mistakes by Nashville that can easily be fixed.
They must make easy and smart passes and can not let Corey Perry, the refs and the Ducks dictate Nashville’s style of play. Luck can only last so long for the Ducks, so when and if Nashville gets chances they must capitalize.
“Everybody knows that it’s do or die, and it’s one game and we have to win. That’s the bottom line,” goaltender Pekka Rinne said to predators.nhl.com. “But it’s not going to get better if you start worrying about that. You know the facts and the fact that if we lose, that’s it for the season, so you have the mindset that you know how important it is. But at the same time, you try to just focus on bringing the best you can bring.”
Prediction
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Nashville should and very well could win this game. But, just like the last three outings, Nashville could also lose this game in horrific fashion. The Predators have seemed out of rhythm ever since Game 3. It has seemed as if no one line has been on the same page.
Their will be a Game 7. If Nashville can score the first goal of the game, they should win this game. There was only one goal in two games at Bridgestone, and that one goal was one of the most electric feelings I have ever felt in my life. The crowd believes in this team too much to not show the support that the players deserve.
Everyone just needs to breathe and take each shift one shift at a time.
C’mon Smashville!