Predators steal Game 1 from Ducks
'Hawks even series with Blues • Luongo bounces back, Panthers top Isles in Game 2
Exploiting mistakes can provide the key to success in the Stanley Cup playoffs, as the Nashville Predators demonstrated Friday night.
Filip Forsberg scored with 9 minutes, 35 seconds to play to give the Predators a 3-2 victory over the Anaheim Ducks in the first game of the Western Conference quarterfinals in front of a standing-room-only crowd of 17,236 at the Honda Center.
James Neal and Craig Wilson also scored while goalie Pekka Rinne stopped 27 shots for the Predators.
Ryan Getzlaf and Ryan Kesler scored the Ducks’ goals, and goalie John Gibson made 30 saves.
“It was a matter of giving them too many opportunities,” Anaheim left winger Andrew Cogliano said about the Predators. “They’re good at transitioning and capitalizing on mistakes. A few of those goals were exactly that. We have to manage the puck a lot better.”
Game 2 will take place Sunday night at the Honda Center.
Forsberg broke a 2-2 tie at 10:25 of the third period. After poke-checking the puck away from Anaheim defenseman Simon Despres in the Predators’ end, Forsberg skated unmolested down the left wing, deked past the Ducks’ Jamie McGinn and passed the puck toward Craig Smith, stationed behind Anaheim defenseman Shea Theodore.
But Forsberg’s pass hit Theodore’s left skate and slowly skidded just beyond Gibson’s left skate and glove inside the right post.
Blackhawks 3, Blues 2
Joel Quenneville’s decision to make a coach’s challenge Friday night might have turned the opening-round series between the Chicago Blackhawks and the St. Louis Blues.
With 7:46 to play in the third period of a 1-1 game, the Blues’ Vladimir Tarasenko appeared to score his second goal of the game, putting the Blues on the verge of taking a 2-0 lead over the defending Stanley Cup champions.
Before play could resume, however, the Blackhawks’ coach asked the referees to take a look at the play to determine if the Blues were offside.
The review took several minutes but finally determined that Jori Lehtera had been offside on the play by a faction of a step and the goal was disallowed.
A little more than a minute later, Tarasenko was called for slashing Andrew Shaw and with just seven seconds left in the penalty, Shaw knocked in his own rebound to put the Blackhawks up 2-1 with 4:19 to play in regulation.
An empty-net goal by Artemi Panarin made it a 3-1 lead for the Blackhawks before Kevin Shattenkirk scored with just two seconds left to make it a 3-2 final in favor of the Blackhawks, tying the series at one win each.
The series now moves to Chicago for the next two games, with game three set for Sunday afternoon.
Panthers 3, Islanders 1
Reilly Smith and Nick Bjugstad ignited the offense and Roberto Luongo keyed the defense as the Florida Panthers defeated the New York Islanders in Game 2 of their first-round playoff series.
The series is tied 1-1. Game 3 in the best-of-seven series is set for Sunday night at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn.
Smith and Bjugstad each had one goal and one assist. The 37-year-old Luongo, who looked bad in allowing five goals in a loss to the Islanders on Thursday, was sharp 24 hours later with 41 saves.
Luongo’s career playoff record is 33-32.
Thomas Greiss, who entered Friday 2-0 against Florida this season, took the loss. He had 28 saves.
Lightning 5, Red Wings 2
For the second game in a row, Tyler Johnson and Alex Killorn combined for a go-ahead goal in the third period, sparking Tampa Bay to a win over Detroit and a 2-0 lead in the series.
On Wednesday, Johnson fed Killorn for the game-winner with 11:08 left in the game. Two nights later, it was Killorn off a pass from Johnson. Killorn skated behind the net and passed the puck back to Johnson, who poked it in around the near post for a 3-2 lead with 13:28 to play, two minutes after Detroit had tied the score.
Johnson followed with a second goal with 5:12 left after Nikita Kucherov tracked down a loose puck deep in the Detroit zone and fed Johnson for the score.
The series moves to Detroit, which plays host to Game 3 on Sunday. The home team has won all six meetings between the teams this season.