Possession disparity helps Predators take series lead on Blues
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[May 01, 2017]
NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- If you keep
the puck, the other team can't score. And eventually, you will.
Playing hockey's version of keep-away most of Sunday, the Nashville
Predators owned wide advantages in faceoffs and shots, cashing in
enough of their chances to earn a 3-1 win over the St. Louis Blues
that gave them a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven Western Conference
semifinal.
Nashville won 39 of 63 faceoffs, with Calle Jarnkrok going 16-of-19
in the dot. It put 34 shots on net to St. Louis' 23 and had a 59-48
advantage in total shots on the day. It led to lots of zone time,
most notably on the sequence that decided the game.
Leading 2-1 with 7:31 remaining, the Predators hemmed the Blues in
their defensive zone for 1:42, even after St. Louis won the draw and
took the puck away. But it couldn't clear the zone as Nashville
cycled the puck for so long that it was able to execute a line
change.
Finally, Colton Sissons feathered the puck to the blue line. Roman
Josi unloaded a bomb that Jake Allen couldn't see because of a Harry
Zolnierczyk screen. The goal at 14:11 effectively ended the Blues'
hopes of regaining home ice advantage on this day.
"It's about possession," Predators coach Peter Laviolette said. "The
whole game is about getting the puck or having the puck. That's
basically the starting point."

Josi's goal was his third of the playoffs and the seventh by a
Nashville defenseman in seven postseason matches. Another
defenseman, Ryan Ellis initiated scoring in Game 3 three seconds
after a failed power play with a one-timer from 36 feet out at 10:34
of the first period.
It was Ellis' third postseason goal and marked his sixth straight
playoff game with a point. Ellis' eight points lead all Predators in
the playoffs.
"It's about getting pucks through and making good plays at the right
time," Ellis said of his postseason success. "I'm playing with
pretty good players, too. They're doing their job."
Nashville's other goal further epitomized why it's 6-1 in this
postseason. Cody McLeod, who didn't dress at all during the 4-0
first round sweep of Chicago and played a combined 16:57 in the
first two games of this series in St. Louis, made it 2-0 at 2:29 of
the second period by backhanding the rebound of his tip try.
It was the third career playoff marker for McLeod, inserted in this
series by Laviolette to provide more of a physical presence against
a Blues' team built to wear opponents down by taking the body.
"Any time you can be a plus line or chip one in like we did in Game
1," said McLeod, referring to Vernon Fiddler's game-winner late in
the third period Wednesday night, "it's obviously going to help. So
far, so good."
McLeod's goal was part of a dizzying flurry during the first 12-plus
minutes of the second period. Buzzing the St. Louis zone at will,
the Predators fired 15 shots in that span at Jake Allen, who stopped
14 of them and single-handedly kept his team in contention.
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Blues left wing Alexander Steen (20) reacts after a goal during the
second period against the Nashville Predators in game three of the
second round of the 2017 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Bridgestone Arena.
Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports

The Blues got nothing through to Pekka Rinne during
that stretch as the puck appeared quarantined on their end. When St.
Louis finally mustered a shot on net, Alexander Steen deflected Alex
Pietrangelo's point wrister at 12:59 to draw it within 2-1.
Robert Bortuzzo rang the post behind Rinne in the third period's
first five minutes, but the Blues couldn't generate any real
sustained pressure after that until pulling Allen for the last 4:09.
Rinne was equal to the task, finishing with 22 saves for the day.
St. Louis coach Mike Yeo hinted at potential lineup changes for Game
4 Tuesday night.
"They took their game to another level tonight and we didn't match
it," he said. "For a large part of the game, we weren't competitive
at the level we needed to be."
Allen finished with 31 stops, including a pair of brilliant saves
which denied Ellis and Filip Forsberg goals. But against an opponent
which stayed in control of the puck, Allen simply couldn't stop
everything.
"The more you have the puck," Nashville defenseman P.K. Subban said,
"the less defense you play."
NOTES: Nashville D P.K. Subban had a Montreal restaurant named after
him for the playoffs' remainder. Chez Serge is known as Chez Subban
until the Predators are eliminated or hoist the Stanley Cup. ... St.
Louis didn't have to ice its penalty-killing unit in Game 2, the
first time it's accomplished that in a playoff game since 1987. ...
The Blues scratched RW Dmitrij Jaskin, D Jordan Schmaltz, G Luke
Opilka, LW Magnus Paajarvi, RW Nail Yakupov and LW Zach Sanford. ...
Predators scratches were D Anthony Bitetto, RW PA Parenteau, RW
Craig Smith (injured), D Brad Hunt, C Frederick Gaudreau, G Marek
Mazanec, LW Pontus Aberg and C Vernon Fiddler. [© 2017 Thomson Reuters. All
rights reserved.]
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