Predators top Blues in Game 1
Nashville wins on road as Subban has a goal, two assists.
P.K. Subban had a goal and two assists, and Vernon Fiddler scored with 5:05 left, sending the Nashville Predators to a 4-3 victory over the host St. Louis Blues in Game 1 of their second-round playoff series on Wednesday night.
The Predators lost Kevin Fiala to an ugly leg injury in the second period and blew a 3-1 lead before Fiddler poked a loose puck by Jake Allen in the third. It was the fifth career playoff goal for the 36-year-old Fiddler, who did not play in Nashville’s first-round sweep of Chicago.
Colin Wilson and Filip Forsberg also scored for Nashville, and Pekka Rinne made 27 saves.
C ol ton Parayko, Jaden S c h w a r t z a n d V l a d i mi r Sobotka scored for St. Louis. Allen finished with 28 stops. Game 2 is Friday night. The Predators jumped in front when Wilson redirected a slap shot from Subban past Allen for a power-play goal at 11:24 of the first. Wilson missed the first round of the playoffs with an injury.
It was still 1-0 when Fiala was hit by Blues defenseman Robert Bortuzzo and went hard into the boards behind the St. Louis net at 1:46 of the second. He left the ice on a stretcher and was taken to a hospital for further evaluation.
After the delay for Fiala’s injury and the arrival of a second ambulance at the arena, Subban drove a shot by Allen from the right circle for his first of the playoffs at 2:22. Ryan Johansen picked up the assist after the Blues were unable to clear the puck from the defensive zone.
St. Louis pulled within one when Parayko slipped a shot through Rinne’s legs with 11:56 remaining in the second.
S u b b a n t h e n s e t u p another power-play goal for the Predators. The defenseman’s shot from the left circle bounced away from Allen, and then ricocheted off Forsberg’s skate and into the net for a 3-1 lead at 12:11.
The Blues rallied in the third. Schwartz scored his third of the playoffs, off a pass from Paul Stastny, at 6:48, and Sobotka tied it with a wrist shot from the right circle with 10:38 remaining.
Bruins: Boston is bringing Bruce Cassidy back next season, dropping the interim
Predators 4, Blues 3 (Nashville leads 1-0)
Oilers at Ducks, late (Game 1 of series)
Rangers at Senators, CNBC (Game 1 of series)
Penguins at Capitals, NBCSN (Game 1 of series) tag from his title as a reward for leading the Bruins to the playoffs for the first time in three seasons.
Cassidy replaced the fired Claude Julien on Feb. 8 and led the te am to an 18-8-1 record to finish out the season and earn a postseason berth.
C a n u c k s : Va n c o u v e r named Travis Green its new coach. Green, 46, spent the past four seasons coaching the Canucks’ top farm team, the Utica Comets of the AHL. He replaces Willie Desjardins, who was fired this month.
Noteworthy: Toronto’s Mike Babcock, Edmonton’s Todd McLellan and Columbus’ John Tortorella are the finalists for the Jack Adams Award as the NHL coach of the year. The winner will be announced June 21.