Nashville Predators: Handing out awards for the First Round victory

By Steve Cook | Apr 25, 2018

DENVER, CO - APRIL 22: Ryan Ellis #4, Colton Sissons #10, Mattias Ekholm #14 and Austin Wilson #51 of the Nashville Predators celebrate a goal against the Colorado Avalanche in Game Six of the Western Conference First Round during the 2018 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at the Pepsi Center on April 22, 2018 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images) /

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(Photo by Michael Martin/NHLI via Getty Images) /

Best Comeback: Andrew Hammond

Andrew Hammond may have been a stranger to the NHL in 2017-18, but he was no stranger to late-season heroics. Back in 2014-15, the man that became known as the Hamburglar went 20-1-2 down the stretch to get the Ottawa Senators into the playoffs. With Craig Anderson firmly in the starting role, there was no place for Hammond long-term.

He wound up part of the deal that sent Kyle Turris to Nashville & Matt Duchene to Ottawa. Turris had a solid regular season for the Predators & solidified their top six, but Hammond ended up having a bigger impact on this series. His forty-four saves in Game 5 got the Avalanche a rare win for the road team inside Bridgestone Arena.

Hammond had us all worried for a minute. Was he about to go on one of his hot streaks? He wasn’t. Game 6 saw a better performance from Nashville’s offense. He still had a chance to get some eyeballs on him for his upcoming free agency. I can appreciate an underdog, even if they’re going up against my team.

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