Nashville Predators Puck Drop: Game Three Edition

Welcome to The Puck Drop, a weekly roundup of all things Nashville Predators. We look at news stories, social media posts, and everything else that has to do with, cue Paul McCann, YOUR NASHVILLE PREDATORS.

The Predators are amid a very tough first-round playoff series with the Carolina Hurricanes. After being close to stealing both of the first two games, Nashville found themselves down two games to none against Carolina.

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A woeful Predators power-play didn’t help matters on the road. In the second game, the Predators went 0-7 on the power-play and looked at a disadvantage despite the extra attacker.

The victory was within reach for both games, but the Hurricanes proved to be the better team and sent the Predators home to Bridgestone Arena, awaiting a game three matchup.

The excitement began to build for game three when the Predators announced that local authorities had authorized Bridgestone Arena to raise the seating capacity for the playoffs. 12,135 of the Nashville faithful were in the stands for Friday night’s game.

The Predators’ “7th Man” was out in full force and doing what Nashville fans are known for. It was loud in the arena, even with limited seating capacity, sounding more like a typical sellout crowd of 17,113 fans.

The famous Predators chants were loud and proud, giving the Hurricanes, especially Alex Nedeljkovic, an earful when they or the referees made a mistake.

What a game it turned out to be. In a classic game of “Made You Flinch,” both teams traded goals and blows, keeping the game tied in regulation.

It would take 85 minutes to finish this game, with Matt Duchene scoring the game-winner in double overtime.

Saros Continues To Shine

Since the Predators began their turnaround to get into the playoffs, Juuse Saros has played out of his mind. He is one of the main reasons why the Predators are where they are at right now.

In Friday night’s game, Saros tied a franchise record, set by former Predator Dan Ellis, by making 52 saves in a playoff game.

Speaking Of Accomplishments

In addition to his 52 saves, Saros also tallied his first NHL playoff point with an assist on Filip Forsberg’s goal.

Tanner Jeannot, a famed member of the “Herd” line, also tallied his first NHL playoff point. Jeannot registered the helper on the Ryan Ellis goal, which opened the scoring for the Predators.

Celebrities In Attendance

There were some celebrity sightings in Bridgestone Arena for Friday night’s game.

Country megastar Keith Urban surprised everyone when he came out to sing the National Anthem. He and his wife, actress Nicole Kidman, also graced the band stage and did some backup singing.

Beloved Tennesse Titan running back Eddie George was also in the house on Friday. George got the crowd pumped up before the game.

Stars Step Up In A Big Way For The Nashville Predators

After facing some criticism for their performances in the first two games of the series, the Predators’ star players stepped up in a big way.

Forsberg, Ryan Ellis, and Roman Josi all had two-point games last night, with Forsberg and Ellis both registering goals and assists. Josi registered two assists.

Ryan Johansen, Mikael Granlund, and of course Duchene all tallied goals as well on a night that saw the whole team “vibin'” in their first victory of the playoffs.

Parting Shot

Last night’s game was probably one of the most exciting of the season. This win brought a lot of joy to fans everywhere. Just look at the happiness on those faces.