Super sub Aberg provides timely jolt for Preds
ANAHEIM, California — Pontus Aberg spent most of the season in the minors and had a part-time depth role for the Nashville Predators in these Stanley Cup playoffs until injuries thrust him into a key role in Saturday’s Game 5 of the NHL’s Western Conference final.
And now the unassuming Swede has another new role as hero of the latest clutch victory in the Predators’ increasingly irresistible chase for the championship.
Aberg scored his first career playoff goal with 8:59 to play as the Predators moved to the brinkoftheirfirstStanleyCup final with a 3-1 victory over the Anaheim Ducks to take a 3-2 series lead.
The rangy winger had to send himself flying across the crease to swat home a rebound of Filip Forsberg’s shot for the Predators, epitomizing Nashville’s persistent effort through a defensive victory.
A moment before he scored the biggest goal of his life, Aberg was upended during a scramble. He had to be taken off the ice for medical evaluation immediately after his celebration, but his teammates hung on to move one win away from playing for hockey’s ultimate prize.
“I face-planted and lost my front tooth ... but it didn’t hurt my head,” Aberg said.
Not much seems to wound these resilient Predators, who overcame the injury absence of top scorer Ryan Johansen and captain Mike Fisher.
Nashville leaned heavily on stalwart goalie Pekka Rinne and got barely enough offense to survive, with Colin Wilson scoring the tying goal late in the second period and Austin Watson adding an empty-netter.
“We knew coming into tonight that we’ve just got to come together, play well defensively and grind it out,” Rinne said.
“We showed a lot of character. For us, the first couple of rounds was fairly smooth sailing. Things were going our way. You deal with adversity, but right now, it’s something that every team is going to face, and I feel like we handled it really well.”
Game 6 is on Monday night in Nashville.
Aberg, who also has one career NHL regular-season goal, was only in position to win it because the Predators were on a counter attack after a prolonged scramble in front of Nashville’s net.
Rinne, who made 32 saves, ended the frantic sequence prone in the starfish pose, frustrating the Ducks for the umpteenth time and earning his fifth victory in Nashville’s seven playoff games at Honda Center over the past two seasons.
Chris Wagner scored the only goal on a frustrating day for the Ducks, who began the game without injured 30-goal scorers Rickard Rakell and Patrick Eaves before losing starting goalie John Gibson to a lower-body injury during the first intermission.
Anaheim’s collection of veteran stars and up-and-coming talent will have to win backto-back elimination games to avoid crashing out in the conference finals for the second time in three years.