Nashville Predators: How They Got to Game 7 With Winnipeg

WINNIPEG, MB - MAY 7: Goaltender Connor Hellebuyck #37 of the Winnipeg Jets makes a glove save on Craig Smith #15 of the Nashville Predators during second period action in Game Six of the Western Conference Second Round during the 2018 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at the Bell MTS Place on May 7, 2018 in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. (Photo by Darcy Finley/NHLI via Getty Images)
WINNIPEG, MB - MAY 7: Goaltender Connor Hellebuyck #37 of the Winnipeg Jets makes a glove save on Craig Smith #15 of the Nashville Predators during second period action in Game Six of the Western Conference Second Round during the 2018 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at the Bell MTS Place on May 7, 2018 in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. (Photo by Darcy Finley/NHLI via Getty Images)
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Many people’s hope of a seven-game series between the Nashville Predators and the Jets now have their wish as they’ll clash Thursday night.

These two Western Conference heavyweights have exchanged punches, sometimes in brutal fashion, but neither has been able to deliver the knockout punch just yet. It’s a popular belief that the winner of this series will win the Stanley Cup, although the Vegas Golden Knights probably have something to say about that. But the Nashville Predators do as well.

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How we arrived to a seventh and decisive game is a wild ride with a lot of twists. Each time you think one team is gaining the edge, the other responds. Something has to give on Thursday when the two teams meet back in Nashville. I also have a general belief that both fan bases are starting to gain a mutual respect for one another.

Heading into the series, the goaltenders were a spotlight. Pekka Rinne and Connor Hellebuyck are Vezina Finalists. However, they’ve had their shortcomings in this series. It’s a testament to how potent both offenses are. It’s making for an epic collision between two excellent teams.  Let’s see how we got to a critical Game 7 to see who will meet Vegas in the Western Conference Finals.