Jets look ahead to ‘do or die’ series finale against relentless Predators

The Nashville Predators believed in themselves and went out and backed up that faith.

In Game 2 they gave up two goals in less than a minute, but were able to come back and win in double overtime.

Viktor Arvidsson had two goals of his own, including one into an empty net, and set up another for Predators, while Roman Josi and Ryan Johansen chipped in with two assists each. “It’s tough to win two games in a row”.

“They were good on the road, we were good in [Game 5]”.

“It’s been back and forth, up and down”, Winnipeg head coach Paul Maurice said. That was the 11th Game 7 to go to multiple overtimes. “It is probably right for it to end this way”.

If you’d have told captain Blake Wheeler back in September that he would skate out on to the ice at Bridgestone Arena on Thursday night with an opportunity like this, you know what he’d have done? “We’ve taken two out of three (in Nashville) so far”.

The Jets and their fans would have loved to close this out in front of the home crowd, but the Preds had other plans tonight. “For you to write a story on the series, you would have to write six different stories”.

Although the Jets had the first three power plays of the contest, they were unable to convert on any of them, though they did generate several chances in tight, only to be denied by Predators goalie Pekka Rinne. They required one shot Monday to take a 1-0 lead for the third time at Bell MTS Place.

The victor will advance to the Western Conference Final and face the Las Vegas Golden Knights, who knocked off the San Jose Sharks on Sunday to win their series 4-2.

After yet another disappointing performance in Game Five, the Predators responded great on the road, as they came out of Winnipeg with a 4-0 win.

“I think we need to recognize that and understand when we’re all on the same page, that’s how we can execute on a daily basis”. “You can’t imagine what it would be like playing against him”.

The Predators have had a couple of stretches in this series where they have given up goals in bunches to completely change the direction of a game, and perhaps the series as a whole. The Bolts reached the Eastern Conference final for the fourth time in the last five times they’ve made the playoffs and now await the victor of the Washington Capitals-Pittsburgh Penguins series. Pekka Rinne 34 saves. The Predators netminder was yanked in Saturday’s 6-2 defeat. Timely goals, rugged defense, leadership — it’s all part of his game.

“There’s only one Dustin Byfuglien, and you want him on your team”, Little said.

“That is the way the playoffs are”.

The trio – consisting of Hillary Scott, Dave Haywood and Charles Kelley – were sailing along quite nicely to start, as you can see in the video below.

The Predators have experience to bank on after reaching the Stanley Cup final last season.

“It nearly looked like slow motion out there a little bit”, Morson said about the Jets’ efforts, stunted by Nashville’s defensive trap. “We have been doing this our whole life”.

“And I think everyone is going to realize that it’s pretty much do or go home”.

A series pitting the NHL’s top two regular-season teams has lived up to billing, a titanic, heavyweight fortnight which has not only failed to produce two straight wins by any single team but even within those six games a tug of war of identities and systems prevailing for minutes at a time, but never an entire night.