Highlights of Sunday's National Hockey League games
ByReuters
Published 07/05/2017 at 22:26 GMT
May 7 (The Sports Xchange) - Highlights of Sunday's NHL games:
Predators 3, Blues 1
Ryan Johansen's tie-breaking third period goal lifted Nashville to a win over St. Louis and a 4-2 series victory, advancing the Predators to the Western Conference finals for the first time in the franchise's 19-year history.
It was the second marker of the playoffs for Johansen, who took Viktor Arvidsson's feed in the slot, deked from forehand to backhand and beat Blues goaltender Jake Allen at 3:15 of the third to give the home side a 2-1 lead.
Calle Jarnkrok sealed it with an empty-net goal at 19:00, making him Nashville's 14th different goal-scorer of the playoffs.
Goalie Pekka Rinne and the Predators' defense made the lead stick. Rinne made 23 saves, none bigger than his pad stop on Kyle Brodziak at the goalmouth about halfway through the third period.
Rinne has permitted just 14 goals in 10 games in the playoffs.
St. Louis, which controlled play for most of Friday night's 2-1 win in Game Five, again had the early lead. Paul Stastny initiated the scoring at 2:04 of the first period, poking home the rebound of a Vladimir Tarasenko shot for his second goal of the playoffs.
The Blues put seven shots on Rinne in the first 3:20 and limited the Predators to five shots on net in the first period, taking a 1-0 lead to the locker room.
But Nashville needed just 35 seconds of the second period to equalize. Defenseman Mattias Ekholm teed up Roman Josi with a cross-ice pass at the right circle and Josi snapped a wrister by Allen for his fourth postseason tally.
Allen didn't see many shots on net, with just 15 saves, but made three stops on breakaways by Filip Forsberg, Austin Watson and Colton Sissons in the third period to keep St. Louis in contention. (Editing by Gene Cherry)
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