Here Comes That Man Again

Puck drops in 6.5 hours. It's game 7. San Jose is on the tracks and the train is coming through. Of course, Nashville hasn't been able to beat San Jose on the road so far. Blah blah blah... THAT CHANGES TONIGHT! Pekka and the boys will get it done and I am putting my guarantee on it. 

While you watch the game, feel free to say all of the angry things you want about San Jose and blindly support our beloved Smashville Predators. Victory will be had and the blood of San Jose will be drank. Get with it or get lost.

All my love,

@corbeech

Game 6: Overtime

Let's Do This

This game has gone a lot longer than I anticipated. We are out of beer, it's almost midnight, and judging on how long the last game in Nashville went, it might be a while before we go to bed. Buckle in and Let's Go Preds!

This is the 15th overtime game in the 2016 Stanley Cup Playoffs. The shortest being 1:34, and the longest being three overtimes (Game 4). As the commentators said, lets hope to break the former record. 

The play-by-play announcers seem to want another long game. Not me. Puck drops and within 0:15, we have an out of play puck.

Rinne makes a great open save at a minute in and falls on it. He has 14 on the night. The only times that he has been beat is when he is either falling down, or the puck is deflected.

Goal with 17:57 left! A Shark miscue leads to an unorthodox Nashville breakaway. We are going to San Jose for Game 7 after Viktor Arvidsson's backhand goal. Final Score: Nashville 4, San Jose 3 OT.

Thanks for sticking around until nearly midnight. We'll have more coverage tomorrow leading up to Game 7 in San Jose on Thursday night.

-Dug

@chansm1th

Game 6: Third Period

Game 6: One Last Stand?

 The Preds are still attacking as the third period gets underway. San Jose is reeling on defense and gasping for air. It feels like at any moment that Nashville is going to take the lead and this game. Let's hope that's the case.

The Predators took a penalty with 11:00 left to go. Goaltender Interference was called on Miika Salomaki to the displeasure of the fans, but it could have been the right call. The Sharks would get a power play. On the first face off, Rinne would make a spectacular save, The Preds would clear the puck to allow some space before the next Shark attack. The puck would be cleared again.

With 0:55 left before Salomaki came back, Logan Couture would score the go ahead goal to take the lead back. With 9;00 left, Nashville is on the ropes again playing for their season. The goal was San Jose's 11th power play goal of the playoffs. Things are looking dire.

With 7:16 left, the Preds would answer! Another equalizer ignites these fans after a no call. Bridgestone Arena goes from silent to euphoria. Colin Wilson sends the roof off of the building with his tying goal. Stand Up!

With the momentum back in their corner, this game feels like its Nashville's to lose. Fans are going nuts as we head to another TV break with 4:56 left. 

Side note: Dallas defeats St Louis to force a Game 7. The winner of that series will face the winner of this one after its over.

Preds still attacking. Under 4:00 and it is looking like this is Nashville's game to lose. They haven't led all night, but its obvious where the momentum lies at this point.

Predators find a loose puck and just miss. Two shots later, they still have the puck in San Jose's end. The SOG is now heavily in Nashville's favor. It feels like another long night that will end in overtime. 

1:29 left and we have a face off in San Jose territory. The replays being shown show just how close the Preds were to scoring on their last possession. San Jose takes the puck but Nashville takes it the other way. After a missed shot, its under one minute remaining. 

Nashville passing well enough for scoring chances, but Jones is protecting well. 

We are headed to overtime!!

-Dug

@chansm1th

Game 6: First Period

1st Period

Through the first five minutes, there were a lot of hard hits. No one took the early advantage as defense was key. During this time, only two shots on goal were made. Seven minutes in, Forsberg had a breakaway that he hit wide of everyone. That was Nashville's only real attempt towards goal early. 

Turnovers plagued the Sharks throughout the first half of the first period, but the puck stayed in Nashville's defensive end for most of that time. Through nine minutes, San Jose had taken the only two shots. Hard hits have been a theme. Nashville leads that column 9-5. The first TV break was with 10:45 left.

Shortly after the break, the Sharks broke open the scoring with 10:05 left on what appeared to be a goal by Marc-Edouard Vlasic. A replay would be taken to see if Chris Tierney tipped the puck above the crossbar. After about a minute, it was determined that his stick was below the bar. He would be credited with the goal.

With 8:09 left, Tierney would score again after Pekka Rinne got crossed up after multiple shots. While falling to his back, the puck just slid under Rinne. With the Sharks taking a quick 2-0 lead, the Nashville crowd was taken out of the game. 

San Jose kept up the pressure. It seemed like every time you looked up, Nashville was skating backwards. A sense of urgency was felt early and often. 

With five minutes left in the first period, Nashville had been out shot 6-2. Things were getting desperate. With 4:33 left, the Sharks were going for a line change when they turned the puck over in the neutral zone. A slow flying shot from Roman Josi found its way past Martin Jones to cut the lead in half. Nashville appeared to have the momentum turning and the crowd back into the game. 

After the TV break, the Sharks would threaten relentlessly. After nearly a solid minute of attacking, Renne would drop on a save to stop play. 

For the remaining time of the period, Nashville would live in the Sharks' half of the ice. San Jose would be put on their heels until the intermission. It was clear that Nashville was the aggressor. If that wasn't enough, after a blown whistle on a save, a scuffle breaks out in the crease on San Jose's end with just 15 seconds left. A double penalty was issued for roughing to both Craig Smith of Nashville and Vlasic for San Jose. It will be 4-on-4 for the first 1:45 in the second.

The intermission would come with the Sharks leading 2-1 behind Tierney's pair of goals.

-Dug

@chansm1th

Game 6 Morning Wakeup

Rise and Shine! It's time to get pumped up for a pivotal Game 6 tonight. The Preds return to Smashville hoping to extend there season for another game and another shot at breaking the slump in San Jose. After getting railed on Saturday, it's win or stay home for our beloved Preds. Puck drops at 9 PM so that should give you plenty of time to pre-game before then. Drink up, and we'll have sports talk all day long today as we go live. 

-Dug

@chansm1th

What to Watch on Saturday

Good morning, Friends! It's bright and early here on the home front, but that doesn't mean that we can't look ahead to see what is on tap for another sports-filled Saturday. Let's take a look at what is on the schedule today.

New York Yankees at Boston Red Sox

1:05 PM

David Price looks to rebound against the Yankees after his last attempt didn't go too well for him. Price gave up six runs on seven hits while working six innings. Inconsistency has been a common problem for Price ever since he came to Boston. Price sports a 4-0 record, but has given up at least 5 runs in half of his starts this season.

The Yankees are off to their worst start in the last 25 years (10-17). They have only won two in their last eight, and hold down the cellar of the AL East. Nathan Eovaldi (1-2, 5.46) was on the other end of the previous match-up with Boston and David Price. Eovaldi took the worst of the exchange by surrendering 10 hits and six runs over five innings of work.

NBA Eastern Conference Semifinals Game 3

Toronto at Miami (Series tied 1-1)

5:00 PM

With Chris Bosh being declared out for the playoffs, the Heat are in a tight spot in this second round match-up with the Raptors. The first two games saw overtime battles in which Miami took one on the road from Toronto. With home court advantage in their favor, Miami looks to take the series back home and set up the potential match-up that Lebron has wanted.

142nd Kentucky Derby

Post Time 6:34PM

The main event on the slate today is without a doubt the Kentucky Derby. The first Saturday in May is where everyone realizes that they love horse racing again. Last year, American Pharoah pulled off the Triple Crown; something I have never witnessed in my life. American Pharoah became the first Triple Crown winner in 37 years (Affirmed was the last in 1978). The last time back-to-back Triple Crown winners? Seattle Slew in 1977 and Affirmed. Can history repeat itself? Well you have to win the first one. Nyquist is currently the favorite at 2-1, but I'm thinking that Gun Runner (9-1) is where you should put your money,

NBA Western Conference Semifinals Game 3

Golden State at Portland (Golden State leads 2-0)

8:30 PM

The Warriors have been business as usual while Steph Curry has missed time in the playoffs with a knee injury. Curry, who before he became Superman, was plagued by ankle injuries that cost him a lot of time early in his career. Now with a bum knee, he is looking at returning to the lineup soon. He is "probable" for Saturday, but Steve Kerr says the reigning MVP is unlikely to play. The Warriors haven't seemed to need Curry, but for a deep run, they will need him healthy in order to repeat as champs.

NHL Western Conference Semifinals Game 5

Nashville at San Jose (Series tied at 2-2)

10:00 PM

Nashville took two clutch wins against San Jose at home to tie the series up before they head west. The Predators are looking to do something that they haven't been able to do in franchise history: Win a road playoff game in San Jose. After a thrilling 3 OT victory late Thursday night, it appears that the momentum has swung into Nashville's favor.

There is nothing like playoff hockey. Even if you do not like hockey, hold your judgement until you watch it in the playoffs. It's on the level of both NBA and MLB playoffs. If you have the time, and you are up that late, you won't regret it.


We'll be back for a recap later, but from me, enjoy this great sports Saturday!

-Dug
@chansm1th