Predators advance to Western Conference final
LOS ANGELES: Finland’s Pekka Rinne made 23 saves and the Nashville Predators reached their first Western Conference final with a 3-1 win over St. Louis in the second round of the NHL playoffs on Sunday.
Rinne, who has allowed just 14 goals in 10 post-season games, frustrated the Blues with his superb goaltending and Ryan Johansen scored the eventual game winner at 3:15 of the third period on Sunday to give Nashville a 4-2 series victory.
“It’s something we haven’t done before,” said 34-year-old Rinne, the team’s longest-tenured player. “Every game in the series was real tight, a lot of one-goal games. It’s a great feeling, but there’s a lot of work left.”
Elsewhere, the Edmonton Oilers compiled a big enough lead so that the Anaheim Ducks could not come back, finishing with a dominating 7-1 victory on Sunday to force a Game 7 in their second round series.
The Oilers rebounded from a Game 5 disappointment on Friday in which they blew a 3-0 lead and lost 4-3 in double overtime. They allowed Anaheim to score three empty net goals with the extra attacker in the final three minutes and send the game into overtime.
Rinne’s best stop came halfway through the final period when he made a pad save in the goalmouth off Kyle Brodziak, allowing the Predators to go on and advance to their first NHL semifinal series in the team’s 19-year history.
Johansen scored at 3:15 of the third to break a 1-1 tie. He took a pass from Sweden’s Viktor Arvidsson and deked goaltender Jake Allen for his second goal of the post-season.
Calle Jarnkrok sealed it with an empty-net marker at 19:00. Swiss defenseman Roman Josi also scored for Nashville.
It was Josi’s fourth goal of the playoffs and continued a pattern of Predators defensemen supplying scoring. Nashville defensemen had scored half of the team’s 32 points as well as seven of its goals.
“It’s part of our system,” Josi said. “Our system allows us to jump up in the play, and the forward do a great job of getting pucks to us. We have a lot of (defensemen) that can jump up in the play.”
Paul Stastny, son of Czech hall of famer Peter Stastny, scored the only goal for St. Louis while Allen finished with 15 saves.
The Predators will play the winner of the other West series between the Anaheim and Edmonton.
In Edmonton, German forward Leon Draisaitl paced the attack with five points, including three goals, and Mark Letestu had two goals and two assists as the Oilers leveled the series at 3-3.
Ducks goalie John Gibson was pulled from the net after surrendering three goals in the first 8:25 of the game.
His replacement Jonathan Bernier didn’t fare much better, as Letestu beat him twice before the period ended and the Oilers were off to the races with an insurmountable 5-0 lead.
The series shifts back to southern California for Game 7 on Wednesday.