The Nashville Predators won their final matchup against the Dallas Stars on Saturday night by a score of 1-0 in what turned out to be a defensive back-and-forth game.
The night’s lone goal occurred with less than 1:30 left in overtime and was due to a fantastic interception and drive to the net by Mattias Ekholm, with Erik Haula grabbing the rebound and burying it to end the game.
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Bridgestone Arena was increasingly electric throughout the game, culminating in thunderous cheers for Haula’s game-winner.
Filip Forsberg returned to the lineup after weeks of absence and has clearly been eager to get back. He looked like his typical electric self, always the best player on the ice.
Juuse Saros earned himself another shutout with numerous spectacular saves. Saros also noted in a post-game interview of the incredible atmosphere, crediting fans with providing energy and momentum for the players.
Physicality: The Name Of The Game
The Herd line started the game, setting the tone for what would be a violent clash between these two division rivals. Tanner Jeannot led the charge, knocking multiple Stars off their skates.
Despite lots of pressure from Dallas, the Predators’ defense held up and emerged from the 1st period tied 0-0.
Matt Duchene took over the 2nd period, juking defenders and zipping pucks through tight lanes, yet his teammates could not make anything of these opportunities.
Captain Roman Josi took a nasty hit and left the game for a while but returned after being checked out in the locker room.
The rest of the 2nd period saw lots of back-and-forth action, yet the game remained scoreless after 40 minutes.
The Predators took control during the 3rd period. Matt Benning and Erik Gudbranson beat down a couple of Stars players, showing that Nashville would not back down.
The Predators maintained constant pressure but still somehow could not score. Forsberg, Duchene, and Josi (among others) all had multiple chances, but the Dallas defense held strong and blocked countless pucks, ending regulation with no score.
Overtime was also controlled mainly by the Predators. Finally, Ekholm snagged a Dallas pass out of mid-air at center ice, muscled his way past a defender, circled behind the net, and Haula buried the game-winner.
Analysis And Our Future
The Predators played really well on defense, correcting their errors from their previous game against the Panthers.
Brad Richardson looked surprisingly strong in his return, crashing through defenders and fighting non-stop for the puck, reminiscent of Craig Smith. The Predators can definitely make use of that playstyle.
Gudbranson made some early mistakes but played a very solid game overall. This was especially important as he saw far more ice time in Josi’s temporary absence.
Duchene looks fantastic since returning from injury. Alexandre Carrier looked very strong in his first game back as well.
The Predators now hold a three-point lead over the Stars for the last spot in the Central Division, though Dallas has one more game remaining than Nashville.
The Predators are slowly returning to full health, which creates some potential lineup issues. Where will Dante Fabbro fit in? Will Matthieu Olivier regain his spot with The Herd, and if so, who gets bumped out? When will Viktor Arvidsson be back, and will we see Rocco Grimaldi again this year?
The Predators’ remaining schedule holds two games against Columbus, against who they’ve won five of six, and two against Carolina, whom they have yet to beat. For those who are scoreboard watching (and I think that’s most of us), Dallas plays the Panthers once, then the Lightning twice, then the Blackhawks twice, a gauntlet of a schedule.
The Predators control their own destiny. Let’s see if they can take advantage of the position they’ve put themselves in.
Nashville will face off against Columbus on Monday, May 3, at 6:00 pm CST.