NASHVILLE, Tenn. - James Neal scored the game-winning goal with 6:57 left, and the Nashville Predators beat the St. Louis Blues 2-1 Tuesday night to take a 3-1 lead in their Western Conference semifinal.
Pekka Rinne outdueled St. Louis' Jake Allen with 32 saves, and the Predators are a victory away from reaching the Western Conference final for the first time in franchise history.
Ryan Ellis scored at 5:09 of the third to break up a scoreless game. Neal then scored with 6:57 left to crank up the Nashville celebration.
Joel Edmundson scored with 3:49 left as St. Louis avoided the shutout. Blues coach Mike Yeo pulled Allen late, but they couldn't beat Rinne again. Allen finished with 23 saves as the Blues lost consecutive road games for the first time since Feb. 28 and March 3.
Put away 4-1 in Game 3 of their second-round series against the New York Rangers, the Senators came out flat, squandering an opportunity to push their series lead to 3-0.
"We knew. It was about living it. Now we have lived it. We got a good slap in the face," Senators coach Guy Boucher told Dan Rosen of NHL.com. "They wanted it so badly and we didn't match that. Period. Period. The whole team was off."
The Rangers carried a 2-0 lead into the first intermission after outshooting the Senators 15-5 in the initial frame. The final 40 minutes were closer, with Ottawa ahead on the shot clock 22-15, but it was too little, too late for the Senators.
Senators captain Erik Karlsson and forward Mike Hoffman were a team-worst minus-three on the night. It marked the first time in the playoffs that Karlsson had been on the ice for more than one even-strength goal against.
Tuesday was the Senators' ninth game this postseason, and the first to be decided by more than one goal.
Put away 4-1 in Game 3 of their second-round series against the New York Rangers, the Senators came out flat, squandering an opportunity to push their series lead to 3-0.
"We knew. It was about living it. Now we have lived it. We got a good slap in the face," Senators coach Guy Boucher told Dan Rosen of NHL.com. "They wanted it so badly and we didn't match that. Period. Period. The whole team was off."
The Rangers carried a 2-0 lead into the first intermission after outshooting the Senators 15-5 in the initial frame. The final 40 minutes were closer, with Ottawa ahead on the shot clock 22-15, but it was too little, too late for the Senators.
Senators captain Erik Karlsson and forward Mike Hoffman were a team-worst minus-three on the night. It marked the first time in the playoffs that Karlsson had been on the ice for more than one even-strength goal against.
Tuesday was the Senators' ninth game this postseason, and the first to be decided by more than one goal.
The New York Rangers desperately needed a win over the Ottawa Senators in Game 3 Tuesday night, and their big guns delivered it.
Back on Broadway, the Blueshirts came absolutely flying out of the blocks, the relentless attack spearheaded by linemates Mats Zuccarello and Mika Zibanejad.
Just 5:31 into the opening frame, Zibanejad took the play deep, circled the net, and found Zuccarello in the slot with a perfect setup. 1-0.
The duo wasn't done there. Rangers teammates and head coach Alain Vigneault often covet Zuccarello for his ability to do all the right things, which was blatantly evidenced when New York claimed a 2-0 lead.
With a slick entry at the blue line, Zuccarello meandered his way through the top of the zone, waiting for his trailing partner in crime.
With all four Senators defenders converged on No. 36 (not ideal positioning), Zuccarello somehow feathered a perfect pass through to a streaking Zibanejad.
Although Zibanejad fumbled the opportunity in the slot, with strong puck support, Zuccarello recovered the loose disc and quickly wrapped it around the boards to Michael Grabner (top of image).
Grabner beat a misplaced Craig Anderson to the puck, and promptly tucked home a wraparound for a two-goal advantage and the eventual game-winner in the 4-1 result.
Zibanejad and Zuccarello lead the Rangers in playoff points with seven and six, respectively, through nine games. What's more, their dominant performance in Game 3 saw them control 56 percent of shot attempts at even strength - the second-highest mark among New York forwards.
Going down 3-0 simply wasn't an option for the Rangers, and the combination of Zuccarello and Zibanejad is the main reason New York suddenly has life.
The New York Rangers desperately needed a win over the Ottawa Senators in Game 3 Tuesday night, and their big guns delivered it.
Back on Broadway, the Blueshirts came absolutely flying out of the blocks, the relentless attack spearheaded by linemates Mats Zuccarello and Mika Zibanejad.
Just 5:31 into the opening frame, Zibanejad took the play deep, circled the net, and found Zuccarello in the slot with a perfect setup. 1-0.
The duo wasn't done there. Rangers teammates and head coach Alain Vigneault often covet Zuccarello for his ability to do all the right things, which was blatantly evidenced when New York claimed a 2-0 lead.
With a slick entry at the blue line, Zuccarello meandered his way through the top of the zone, waiting for his trailing partner in crime.
With all four Senators defenders converged on No. 36 (not ideal positioning), Zuccarello somehow feathered a perfect pass through to a streaking Zibanejad.
Although Zibanejad fumbled the opportunity in the slot, with strong puck support, Zuccarello recovered the loose disc and quickly wrapped it around the boards to Michael Grabner (top of image).
Grabner beat a misplaced Craig Anderson to the puck, and promptly tucked home a wraparound for a two-goal advantage and the eventual game-winner in the 4-1 result.
Zibanejad and Zuccarello lead the Rangers in playoff points with seven and six, respectively, through nine games. What's more, their dominant performance in Game 3 saw them control 56 percent of shot attempts at even strength - the second-highest mark among New York forwards.
Going down 3-0 simply wasn't an option for the Rangers, and the combination of Zuccarello and Zibanejad is the main reason New York suddenly has life.
