Nashville reaches first Cup Finals
NASHVILLE — Different players just keep producing for the Nashville Predators, and now their postseason run has an even bigger destination: the Stanley Cup Finals.
Colton Sissons scored his third goal with six minutes left, and the Predators eliminated Anaheim with a 6-3 win in Game 6 on Monday night in the Western Conference finals.
“In the back of your head, you’ve been thinking about the Finals and then when the buzzer goes off, it’s an amazing feeling,” Nashville goalie Pekka Rinne said.
The Predators, who haven’f won even a division title in their 19-year history, came into the postseason with the fewest points of any team. They then lost their top center, Ryan Johansen, for the playoffs after Game 4 of the West finals because of emergency surgery on his left thigh. Captain Mike Fisher has missed two games with an upper-body injury.
“We went through a tremendous amount of adversity the last 72 hours, losing two key guys in our lineup,” Nashville defenseman P.K. Subban said. “I mean, I said it before earlier in the playoffs that this team’s got tremendous amount of composure. There is so much confidence in this dressing room.”
The Predators have swept the West’s No. 1 seed in Chicago, downed St. Louis in six in the second round and now have ousted the Pacific Division champs.
“Our guys know the big picture,” said Nashville’s Peter Laviolette, who becomes the fourth head coach to take three franchises to the Finals. “They understand what it is that we’re trying to do here. And when that time comes, we’ll be ready.”
The Predators will play either defending champion Pittsburgh or Ottawa for the Stanley Cup. Game 1 of the Finals is Monday.
Anaheim lost in the conference finals for the second time in three years.
“Our effort was there and we were a desperate hockey club right from the opening faceoff, and we didn’t quit until they scored the second empty-net goal,” Anaheim head coach Randy Carlyle said.
Cam Fowler tied it 3-3 at 8:52 of the third for Anaheim as the Ducks tried to rally for the fifth time this season when trailing by multiple goals.
Sissons, who scored on the third shot of the game, scored twice in a wild third period to give the Predators a 3-1 lead at 3:00 and then 4-3 11 minutes later.
“I don’t think I even dreamt of this moment, scoring a hat trick in the Western Conference clinching game, but I can’t speak enough for just our whole group,” Sissons said. “We’ve been through some challenges together and we stuck together no matter what, just always believed and here we are.”
Austin Watson scored on Nashville’s first shot and had an empty-netter with 1:34 to go. Filip Forsberg also had an empty-net goal. Rinne made 38 saves. “This one is going to sting for a while,” Anaheim forward Corey Perry said.