NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Vancouver coach Rick Tocchet told Pius Suter to keep shooting. Suter did just that, and it worked.
Suter scored with 1:39 left, and the Canucks won. NHL playoffs second round They defeated the Nashville Predators 1-0 in Game 6 on Friday night.
“If you keep going there, it's going to happen. It happened with Suits and it was a big game-winning goal for us,” Tocchet said of the forward, who made 3 of 5 shots in the third. Told.
Nashville had one last chance to force overtime on a power play with 33.9 seconds left after Elias Lindholm was called for a cross-check by Gustav Nyquist. Despite bringing in goaltender Juuse Saros as an additional attacker, the Predators were unable to take down rookie goaltender Arturus Silovs before time expired.
The last four games of this series were decided by one point. Nashville's first-year coach, Andrew Brunette, said this may have been the toughest series he's been in. Replaying the final 33 seconds, finalist Jack Adams said he saw a chance the Predators missed.
“You're going to be at these games, too, and hockey can be brutal sometimes,” Brunette said.
Shirofus He made 28 saves, becoming the 14th rookie goaltender in NHL history to end a series with a shutout, and the fifth in 30 years. He joins Akira Schmidt (2023), Matt Murray (2017 Stanley Cup finalist vs. Nashville), Carey Price (2008) and Ilya Bryzgalov (2006) in that selection group.
“He stepped in. What a crazy scenario he was thrown into,” Canucks forward JT Miller said of Shillofs. “He made saves when he needed to in such a big, crazy environment. We're happy for him.”
Vancouver will play Edmonton. The Oilers finished second in the Pacific Division behind the Canucks. Beat Los Angeles Kings in the first round.
“Honestly, I thought about it for more than two seconds,” Miller said of playing against the Oilers.
The Canucks continued their winning streak that began with the road team's second game, winning each of their final five games. It was Vancouver's first playoff series win outside of the pandemic bubble since 2011, when they reached the Stanley Cup Final, including a Game 6 victory over the Pres in Nashville.
The Predators suffered six straight playoff losses on home ice, taking some of the shine off the franchise's smashville reputation. They haven't won a postseason series since winning in 2018. presidential trophy The season after Nashville's unexpected run to the Stanley Cup Finals in 2017.
Suter scored his second goal of the series off a pass from Brock Boeser, beating Saros, who also made 28 saves, in a game that looked headed for overtime.
“I tried to take away some of the passing options, but my stick just didn't get to me,” Saros said. “Then you just try to reach out with the pads, but there's only a small margin.”
Vancouver was held to 92 total shots in the first five games, but this was the most in any game in the series. That number was the second lowest in a five-game playoff series since 1960, behind only Washington (90) in the 1998 Eastern Conference semifinals.
Shilovs joined the team when Vezina Trophy finalist Thatcher Demko was declared week-to-week injured after winning the first game. Casey DeSmith started Games 2 and 3 before getting injured himself, before making his postseason debut for the Shilovs, who won back-to-back games in Game 4. 3-1 lead.
“I just accepted the challenge,” Shilovs said. “I knew I had played on big stages before. I already knew what was going to happen and what kind of match it would be. It was great for me to play for a big club and get that chance. It was a great opportunity.”
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AP NHL Playoffs: https://apnews.com/hub/stanley-cup and https://www.apnews.com/hub/NHL
