Alexandre Carrier’s third-period goal completed a comeback and the visiting Nashville Predators extended their Western Conference first-round series with a 2-1 victory over the Vancouver Canucks in Game 5 on Tuesday.
Roman Josi also scored for the Predators, who still trail the best-of-seven set 3-2. Game 6 will be played Friday in Nashville.
Predators goalie Juuse Saros made 19 saves, while Filip Forsberg collected a pair of assists as his team erased a third-period deficit en route to victory.
Nikita Zadorov scored for the Canucks, the Pacific Division champions. Goalie Arturs Silovs stopped 20 shots.
With the score tied and his team’s season on the line, Carrier netted his first career playoff goal to put the Predators ahead with 7:14 remaining. With the visitors pressing in the offensive zone, Carrier was sent the puck at the point, and his seeing-eye shot found the mark for the go-ahead tally.
The Canucks had their net empty for the extra attacker for almost all of the final two minutes but could not muster the scoring chance necessary to net the equalizer.
The end result was a perfect response after the Canucks erased a late deficit en route to victory in Game 4.
It made for another wild finish in a close-checking, low-scoring affair.
Zadorov finally broke the goalless deadlock at 3:11 of the third period with his second tally of the playoffs. The hulking defenseman gained the puck inside his own blue line, worked his way to deep in the left circle and fired a top-shelf shot that beat Saros’ glove hand.
Josi’s power-play goal four minutes later tied the clash. Josi had an attempt denied as he drove to the net, but during a scramble at the Vancouver cage, the puck ended up crossing the line and the goal counted, earning Josi his first of the series.
–Field Level Media