Nashville wins in double overtime
Kevin Fiala scored 5: 37 into double overtime, and the Nashville Predators beat the Winnipeg Jets 5- 4 on Sunday night in Game 2 to even the Western Conference semifinal series.
The Presidents’ Trophy winners had the NHL’s best road record during the regular season, but the Predators got the split they needed before this series switches to Winnipeg for Game 3 on Tuesday night. That’s where the Jets posted the league’s best home record ( 32- 7- 2).
Craig Smith and Fiala skated up on a two- on- one, and Jets defenseman Dustin Byfuglien failed to block Smith’s cross- ice pass to Fiala, who beat goalie Connor Hellebuyck.
Ryan Johansen scored two goals, Viktor Arvidsson had a goal and two assists, and P. K. Subban had a goal and an assist as Nashville won both its 100th postseason game as a franchise and coach Peter Laviolette’s 50th with the team. Filip Forsberg also had three primary assists for the f irst time in the postseason in his career.
Mark Scheifele scored two goals and had an assist. Byfuglien had a goal and an assist, and Brandon Tanev had a goal for Winnipeg.
Tanev tied it at 3, putting the puck past Pekka Rinne’s right skate at 5: 11 of the third. Johansen answered 34 seconds later, skating around Jets defenseman Toby Enstrom and beating Hellebuyck.
But Scheifele forced overtime with his fourth goal in this series and eighth this postseason with 1: 05 left in regulation and Hellebuyck was pulled for the extra attacker.
The Predators brought star Carrie Underwood in for the U. S. anthem as a “proud hockey wife” of Nashville center Mike Fisher, and Marcus Mariota brought the NFL’s Tennessee Titans offensive linemen to wave the rally towels.
After throwing up a postseason- high 48 shots in losing Game 1 on Friday night, the Predators wasted no time getting on the board this time. Johansen scored 27 seconds in on Nashville’s first shot for a 1- 0 lead, snapping Winnipeg’s streak of 10 straight games scoring the first goal with the Jets going 9- 1- 0 in that stretch dating to the regular season.
The Jets made up for that by scoring twice 29 seconds apart to grab the lead. Byfuglien scored between Rinne’s pads on a four- onfour at 12: 47, and Scheifele made it 2- 1 with a power- play goal at 13: 16 of the period.
Subban tied it with a slap shot for Nashville’s f irst power- play goal of the series and the Norris Trophy finalist’s f irst goal this postseason at 5: 04 of the second. That brought the sold- out crowd to life again, and Rinne settled down as well. A couple minutes later, he made a big pad save on a shot by Kyle Connor and then gloved a shot from Byfuglien.
at Washington 4, Pittsburgh 1: Alex Ovechkin scored his seventh goal of the playoffs, Braden Holtby made 32 saves and the Capitals built a lead and this time held on to beat the Penguins and even the series.
After blowing a two- goal lead for the third time in these playoffs in Game 1, this time Washington built on it. The Capitals also were the beneficiary of a questionable video review in the third period when the NHL ruled there were no definitive replays showing the puck crossed the goal line on what would have been Pittsburgh’s second goal.
Jakub Vrana scored on the power play and Brett Connolly on a breakaway for the Capitals, who have beaten goaltender Matt Murray glove- side all f ive of their goals against him through two games. Nicklas Backstrom scored an empty- netter to seal it with 6.1 seconds left.
Kris Letang scored for Pittsburgh.
Holtby robbed Sidney Crosby and Jake Guentzel with sliding pad saves on the way to evening the series going into Game 3 Tuesday in Pittsburgh.