Predators comeback falls short as Coyotes hang on for 4-3 win

The Predators attempted to make a comeback in the third period, but the Coyotes hung on to earn the 1-0 series lead.

Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Playoffs qualifying round between the Nashville Predators and the Arizona Coyotes was the first meaningful game for both teams in over four months. For two periods, it was a lopsided contest, but things got interesting in the third.

In the opening minutes, Nashville controlled the pace of play, but that quickly faded into dominance by their opponent. The Coyotes used special teams to swing the momentum, out-shooting the Predators 13-4 at one point while jumping out to a 3-0 lead late in the first period.

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Oliver Ekman-Larsson led off the scoring with a bizarre goal that he couldn’t score again if he tried. That was followed by goals from Christian Dvorak and Clayton Keller, both of which came from point-blank range in the face of some underwhelming Nashville defense. Keller’s was scored on the power play.

The lone bright spot in the period for Nashville was a Filip Forsberg power play goal with 2.5 seconds remaining. The much-needed goal to get the Predators on the board seemed as though it had the potential to be a turning point in the game.

In a way it was. The late tally for Nashville gave the team enough of a boost to come out in the second period and play a more consistent brand of hockey.

Unfortunately for the Preds, a lack of discipline prevented them from maintaining any real momentum, and a back-and-forth period ultimately had only one score: a short-handed strike by Michael Grabner.

As the third period began, it seemed as though the Coyotes would wrap up a relatively stress-free win. The Predators, however, had other ideas.

A quick strike by Ryan Ellis 30 seconds into the third period gave the Preds some life. Eight minutes later, Filip Forsberg added his second goal of the game, again on the power play.

Nashville continued to press the Coyotes, firing 20 shots on goal in the final frame, but Arizona had enough of an answer to earn the victory.

The Coyotes had several key players step up in the win. Darcy Kuemper recorded 40 saves on 43 shots, Christian Dvorak had one goal and one assist, and Taylor Hall and Phil Kessel each tallied two assists.

For Nashville, the defense needs to play better in Game 2 after leaving Juuse Saros hanging out to dry on three of the Coyotes’ four goals. For Arizona, the team needs to continue to be opportunistic and take advantage of momentum swings in its favor if it wants to take a 2-0 series lead.

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Both teams looked good for having not played since March, although both need to make staying out of the penalty box a priority. Game 2 will be Tuesday afternoon at 2:30 PM.

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