Sissons’ hat trick leads Predators to Stanley Cup Final for 1st time
Former Rockets’ captain scores 3 goals, including winner, to eliminate Ducks
NASHVILLE — Colton Sissons scored his third goal with 6:00 left, ensuring the Nashville Predators’ magical post-season now includes the franchise’s first trip to the Stanley Cup Final after eliminating the Anaheim Ducks with a 6-3 win in Game 6 on Monday night.
The Predators, who have never won even a division title in their 19-year history, came in with the fewest points of any team in these playoffs. Now they’ve swept the West’s No. 1 seed in Chicago, downed St. Louis in six games in the second round and then the Pacific Division champ in six.
Peter Laviolette became the fourth coach to take three different teams to the Final, and the first since the playoffs split into conference play in 1994.
“It feels so good,” Sissons said. “Listen to this crowd. Our fans are amazing, a great group of guys. We just believe in ourselves. That’s all it is.”
The Predators will play either the defending champion Pittsburgh Penguins or the Ottawa Senators for the Stanley Cup. Game 1 is Monday.
Anaheim lost in the conference final for the second time in three years.
Cam Fowler tied it up at 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.
But Sissons, who scored on the third shot of the game, scored twice in a wild third period to give the Predators a 3-2 lead at 3:00 and then a 4-3 lead three minutes later.
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. Pekka Rinne made 38 saves to improve to 12-4. Ondrej Kase scored his second career goal — both in this series — giving Anaheim a chance to tie the NHL record with a fifth rally when trailing by multiple goals. Chris Wagner banked the puck off Rinne’s head for a goal at 5:00 of the third to keep the Ducks close.
But this has been the best post-season ever for Rinne — a three-time Vezina Trophy finalist — and a stretch ranking among the NHL’s best. The 6-foot-5 Finn used his big body to turn away shot after shot even with the Ducks trying to crash the net every opportunity. He helped the Predators improve to 7-3 in one-goal games.
The Ducks had goalie Jonathan Bernier making his first career playoff start, with John Gibson scratched with a lower-body injury. Gibson, who went out after the first period of Game 5, skated Monday morning only to be scratched with Jhonas Enroth dressed as Bernier’s backup.
Superstar Garth Brooks spoiled the usual mystery of who would sing the national anthem with Twitter hints hours before the game.
Sure enough, his wife Trisha Yearwood became the latest to handle the honours.