The Vancouver Canucks took a 2–1 lead in their NHL Semifinal series against the Nashville predators with a 3–2 overtime win.
“This is what we can expect from this series,” game-winning goal-scorer Mikael Samuelsson told Versus.” I think it is going to be tired games all the way through. I don’t think is going to be the last time we see overtime.”
The score doesn’t indicate how much of the game the Canucks dominated. Through most of the first period and the entire second period, Vancouver carried the play to the Predators, who only hung on because of the amazing goaltending of Pekka Rinne.
Vancouver outshot their opponents 11-4 in the first period, and in the second period, the Predators didn’t get a shot on net until the 17th minute. But one of those Predators shots in the first period went in.
Nashville drew first blood while shorthanded when Nick Spaling picked up the puck in the corner and fed it across to Ryan Suter who circled left and then passed to David Legwand who fired it past Canucks goalie Robert Luongo.
The period ended with Jerred Smithson getting called for high sticking at 19:42, when he carelessly hit Luongo in the mask after a play. The means the Predators faced a power play at the start of the second period.
Vancouver came out ready to capitalize, and at the one-minute mark they did, as Chrisdtina Erhoff, carrying the puck skated slowly past the Predators net, pivoted, and fed Ryan Kessler camped in the goal crease. Kessler tucked it home, tying the game.
Kessler was everywhere doing everything: in front of the net, or in the face of some Predator, or grinding one along the boards. He scored the first Vancouver goal, assisted on the second, precipitated the penalty which brought an overtime powerplay and scored the game-winning goal.
Vancouver scored again three minutes into the third period, as Christopher Higgins took a centering pass from Kessler behind the net and beat Pekka Rinne, giving Vancouver the lead.
Vancouver kept attacking but turnovers—they had 18—cost them. With seven minutes left in the period, Mikael Samuelsson lost the puck in the Canucks end, and Nashville’s Martin Erhat pounced on it, passing it to Joel Ward. Ward circled behind the net and tucked it behind Robert Luongo, tying the game yet again.
In overtime, both teams played like it was the start of the game—skating fast, hitting hard, swarming the net. Halfway through the period, after some particularly hard hitting, Nashville’s Shea Webber got tangled up with Ryan Kessler. Kessler had Webber’s stick tangled in his arms but wasn’t obviously holding it; Webber jerked it, twisted it, and yanked it with one hand while sharply shoving Kessler with the other.
The upshot was that Webber, Nashville’s best penalty killer, got sent off for hooking. Vancouver set up their powerplay, patiently passed the puck until an opening appeared, and then, while Henrik Sedin and Ryan Kessler were screening Rinne, Mikael Samuelsson fired a drive from the left point which ricocheted of Kessler and into the net.
“This is what we can expect from this series,” game-winning goal-scorer Mikael Samuelsson told Versus.” I think it is going to be tired games all the way through. I don’t think is going to be the last time we see overtime.”
The score doesn’t indicate how much of the game the Canucks dominated. Through most of the first period and the entire second period, Vancouver carried the play to the Predators, who only hung on because of the amazing goaltending of Pekka Rinne.
Vancouver outshot their opponents 11-4 in the first period, and in the second period, the Predators didn’t get a shot on net until the 17th minute. But one of those Predators shots in the first period went in.
Nashville drew first blood while shorthanded when Nick Spaling picked up the puck in the corner and fed it across to Ryan Suter who circled left and then passed to David Legwand who fired it past Canucks goalie Robert Luongo.
The period ended with Jerred Smithson getting called for high sticking at 19:42, when he carelessly hit Luongo in the mask after a play. The means the Predators faced a power play at the start of the second period.
Vancouver came out ready to capitalize, and at the one-minute mark they did, as Chrisdtina Erhoff, carrying the puck skated slowly past the Predators net, pivoted, and fed Ryan Kessler camped in the goal crease. Kessler tucked it home, tying the game.
Kessler was everywhere doing everything: in front of the net, or in the face of some Predator, or grinding one along the boards. He scored the first Vancouver goal, assisted on the second, precipitated the penalty which brought an overtime powerplay and scored the game-winning goal.
Vancouver scored again three minutes into the third period, as Christopher Higgins took a centering pass from Kessler behind the net and beat Pekka Rinne, giving Vancouver the lead.
Vancouver kept attacking but turnovers—they had 18—cost them. With seven minutes left in the period, Mikael Samuelsson lost the puck in the Canucks end, and Nashville’s Martin Erhat pounced on it, passing it to Joel Ward. Ward circled behind the net and tucked it behind Robert Luongo, tying the game yet again.
In overtime, both teams played like it was the start of the game—skating fast, hitting hard, swarming the net. Halfway through the period, after some particularly hard hitting, Nashville’s Shea Webber got tangled up with Ryan Kessler. Kessler had Webber’s stick tangled in his arms but wasn’t obviously holding it; Webber jerked it, twisted it, and yanked it with one hand while sharply shoving Kessler with the other.
The upshot was that Webber, Nashville’s best penalty killer, got sent off for hooking. Vancouver set up their powerplay, patiently passed the puck until an opening appeared, and then, while Henrik Sedin and Ryan Kessler were screening Rinne, Mikael Samuelsson fired a drive from the left point which ricocheted of Kessler and into the net.
