On The Forecheck

The big narrative heading into this game was, of course, Vancouver goalie Thatcher Demko’s injury. He was replaced in net by Casey DeSmith, and Nashville was able to take advantage of that to steal a much-needed road win. Anthony Beauvillier got the scoring started early, tipping a Filip Forsberg shot past DeSmith at 1:14. The Canucks responded well, forcing Juuse Saros to make … [Read more...] about Nashville Predators 4, Vancouver Canucks 1: Preds seize the day

Hopefully the Preds’ playoff chances restore themselves with timing and thoroughness as perfect as Mark Stone’s spleen. Amid boos, Stone leads Knights to win in returnAny questions about how Mark Stone would handle his first game in three months were quickly answered Monday night. I’m glad he’s healthy again, and I don’t dispute he was injured in the first place, but this is … [Read more...] about Tuesday’s Dump & Chase: Getting Back

While Game 1 wasn’t exactly what Nashville hoped, there were a few positives despite the third-period cluster. I thought Ryan O’Reilly looked excellent, and there were a lot of scoring threats from guys like Luke Evangelista, Tommy Novak, Gustav Nyquist, and Filip Forsberg. Truthfully, the game was not out of hand until the third period. That’s been Nashville’s doom all season, … [Read more...] about Preview/Live Thread: Preds @ Canucks Game 2

Game 1: Predators 2, Canucks 4Despite holding a pair of early leads, the Preds were largely outplayed tonight and struggled to respond once the Canucks got established. ICYMI: Could have been better. Stay tuned for some analysis coming up shortly! How Barry Trotz led the Predators back to the playoffs as GMAfter being a hockey coach for most of his adult life, Barry Trotz … [Read more...] about Monday’s Dump & Chase: Down One

Editor’s note: OTF welcomes Alex H to our 2024 postseason coverage! She taught me a lot of what I know about hockey, and I’m delighted to have her on board helping cover this series. A former Vancouver Canucks player of some renown described Game One as “being fought in a phone booth” on the ESPN broadcast during the second intermission. He, of course, has the advantage in … [Read more...] about Preds-Canucks Game 1 Analysis: Possession and Decision