Connor, Scheifele and Wheeler combined for eight points as the Jets toppled the Predators 6-2 to take a 3-2 series lead Full Story
CLOSE Ivan Santamaria and Deborah Glenn Powers, aka GMA, stop for a chance to cheer on the Predators before Game 5. Autumn Allison, USA TODAY NETWORK- Tennessee
Nashville Predators center Nick Bonino (13) and goaltender Pekka Rinne (35) defend against Winnipeg Jets center Andrew Copp (9) during the second period of Game 5 of the second round NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at Bridgestone Arena, Saturday, May 5, 2018, in Nashville, Tenn. (Photo: Andrew Nelles / Tennessean.com)
It was 25 minutes of Nashville domination with nothing to show for it, then another one of those second-period Winnipeg flurries with the Predators collapsing and the Jets crushing.
Kind of like Game 1. Kind of like Game 3. But Game 5 was its own special kind of misery in Bridgestone Arena, which could not have been more primed Saturday night for the series-defining victory that ended up in the hands of the other team.
More: Predators teetering on edge of elimination after blowout Game 5 loss to Jets
The Jets got loose, as they’ll do if you let them, and put four goals on the board in less than 10 minutes in the second. There would be no ensuing drama — Winnipeg rolled from there to a 6-2 stunner to go up 3-2 in the Western Conference semifinals. The Jets are home Monday with a promising opportunity to advance and to end the Predators’ season well short of expectations.
"It's going to be awesome," said Winnipeg goalie Connor Hellebuyck, who kept his team even in the first period despite waves of Nashville chances. "Our home fans have been waiting for this for a while."
Of course, every game of this series has departed significantly from its predecessor, leaving us at this point to simply wait and see what’s next without preconceived notions. The Predators came apart in humiliating fashion in Game 5. Pekka Rinne was pulled early in the third for Juuse Saros, a mercy move more than anything because everything in front of Rinne was going wrong.
But the Predators aren’t technically done until they’re done. They need a road win Monday to force a Game 7, back home Thursday. The Nashville locker room could not produce a solid explanation for what had just happened late Saturday night, but it did produce some bold words about the next game.
CLOSE P.K. Subban was adamant that the Nashville Predators were "going go to Winnipeg, win a game and come back here' to complete the series. Autumn Allison, USA TODAY NETWORK- Tennessee
"We're going to go there, we're going to win a game, we're going to come back here," said Preds defenseman P.K. Subban, who uttered that sentiment three straight times, regardless of the questions that came at him. "It's that simple."
Need some manufactured sunshine to go with that semi-guarantee? Nashville was the NHL’s best road team in the regular season. The Predators have been better in hostile environments than their own this postseason — 3-2 away, 3-3 at home, after they went 9-2 in Bridgestone a year ago on the way to the Stanley Cup Final. They stifled the Jets in Game 4 at MTS Bell Place, 2-1, to set up the opportunity they just squandered. The home team in this series is 2-3.
More: Lady Antebellum sings national anthem before Game 5 against Winnipeg
Those are the numbers that give hope. There are others that make it seem slim. Stanley Cup playoff history tells us teams that win Game 5 of a tied series go on to win it 79 percent of the time. Nashville Predators playoff history tells us they have never won a series that they trailed 2-1 — they are 0-9 all-time and one loss away from making it 0-10. Not that either of those historical trends necessarily apply to this, the best Predators team in franchise history.
Nashville Predators goaltender Pekka Rinne (35) stands near the bench in the second period of Game 5 of the second round NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at Bridgestone Arena, Saturday, May 5, 2018, in Nashville, Tenn. (Photo: George Walker IV / Tennessean.com)
It’s a team that has always answered when absolutely necessary and now must do so twice to overcome Winnipeg. The numbers that really sting after this one are as follows — 26 shots on Rinne and six past him. Just like in Game 3, the defense in front of him was disastrous. The Predators needed him to bail them out once things started going sideways, and he couldn’t do it.
"We're giving them way too much, too many great chances," said Nashville captain Roman Josi, the leader of a defense corps that has not played nearly as well as needed overall through five games. "Tonight you saw it again, the goals, they're all like backdoor, empty net, rebounds in front of the net. I mean, they're a dangerous team, they're going to get their chances, but we've got to make sure we stay calm. ... There's no panic. We know what we have to do. There's no panic in the room."
More: 5-year-old with new heart lives out dream by tossing catfish on ice at Predators game
So let’s review. The Predators dominated the territorial battle at home in Game 1, outshooting the Jets 48-19, and lost largely because Hellebuyck outplayed Rinne. The Jets played better in Game 2, overcame deficits three times, forced overtime with 65 seconds left in regulation, but lost on a swooping Kevin Fiala goal. The Predators rolled to a 3-0 lead in Game 3 at Winnipeg, lost that lead in less time than it takes to spell Byfuglien without cheating, and ultimately fell 7-4 in a cloud of ill-timed penalties.
Winnipeg Jets center Mathieu Perreault (85) celebrates his goal with Winnipeg Jets left wing Nikolaj Ehlers (27) who got the assist during the third period of Game 5 of the second round NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at Bridgestone Arena, Saturday, May 5, 2018, in Nashville, Tenn. (Photo: George Walker IV / Tennessean.com)
Peter Laviolette made a surprise move for Game 4, sitting Fiala and putting Scott Hartnell in his place. Nashville gummed up the Jets, turned them to paper airplanes, and Rinne did the rest to even things. Laviolette switched back for Game 5, Hartnell out and Fiala in. Fiala was flying around and the return of an end-to-end game seemed to suit the Predators. Until it really, really didn’t.
"We played hockey not too much after that," Laviolette said of the second-period takeover.
Also in the second, Yannick Weber ripped one past Hellebuyck after a neutral-zone takeaway and Ryan Johansen scored short-handed, or the third period would have been meaningless. As it was, Mark Scheifele took a pass from Kyle Connor and got an easy one past Rinne 32 seconds into the third with Johansen and Subban crossed up on a 2-on-2. That killed the idea of any late dramatics.
Nashville Predators left wing Kevin Fiala (22) moves the puck in the second period of Game 5 of the second round NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at Bridgestone Arena, Saturday, May 5, 2018, in Nashville, Tenn. (Photo: Andrew Nelles / Tennessean.com)
I wouldn’t go so far as to say Laviolette erred and cost his team. If the Predators cash in early this might be a totally different kind of game. His magical touch lost some zing, though. Stylistically, the first 25 minutes was the game the Predators employed to win their first Central Division and the Presidents' Trophy. But Hartnell’s brutish touch around the boards seemed to be a source of inspiration in Game 4.
In every inch of Bridgestone other than on the ice, this was a championship effort. Well, except Lady Antebellum botching the lyrics to the national anthem. Blame them if you like. Otherwise, the place was perfectly primed on a rainy Cinco de Mayo on Broadway. Catfish flew. Scott Hamilton got the towels waving. The noise was plentiful and, as always, real.
At least the people who love the Predators can say they did all they could. The Predators sure couldn't. But one of them is now on record that they're going to find a way to make it so Saturday wasn’t the last home gathering until next fall.
Contact Joe Rexrode at jrexrode@tennessean.com and follow him on Twitter @joerexrode.
CLOSE P.K. Subban was adamant that the Nashville Predators were "going go to Winnipeg, win a game and come back here' to complete the series. Autumn Allison, USA TODAY NETWORK- Tennessee
Winnipeg Jets center Paul Stastny (25) reacts to scoring against the Nashville Predators during the second period of Game 5 of the second round NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at Bridgestone Arena, Saturday, May 5, 2018, in Nashville, Tenn. (Photo: Andrew Nelles / Tennessean.com)
Maybe it was a sign, the multi-platinum country group flubbing the words to the national anthem.
“We’re human too y’all,” Lady Antebellum tweeted, vocalist Charles Kelly’s face buried in his hands. So are the Predators, who spared Lady Antebellum the indignity of having the most regrettable performance on the Bridgestone Arena ice surface Saturday.
The Predators came up small when it mattered most. There's no other way to put their shameful 6-2 loss to the Winnipeg Jets, which has their historic season teetering on the edge of elimination.
“It just felt like every bounce went their way,” Predators defenseman P.K. Subban said. “Can we be better? Of course. We’ve got to be a lot better. But just seemed like every time we made a mistake, it ended up in the back of our net.
Rexrode: Buried on Broadway: Predators destroyed by Jets in Game 5
"Fact of the matter is we had to go to Winnipeg anyway. We’re going to go there, we’re going to win a game and come back here. It’s that simple.”
If the Predators have any intention of returning to Nashville with their season alive, then they’ll have to outshine a highly motivated Jets team seeking its first trip to a conference final in front of a delirious crowd.
That certainly won't happen if the Predators reproduce their calamitous second and third periods from Saturday, which were best watched through your fingers.
More: 5-year-old with new heart lives out dream by tossing catfish on ice at Predators game
With nothing to show for a dominant first period in which they accounted for 12 of 13 scoring chances at even strength, the Predators broke down in the defensive zone. The Jets, too good not to take advantage, feasted on bobbled pucks and lapses in coverage by scoring three consecutive goals in fewer than five minutes.
Jets rookie forward Kyle Connor, who starred with three points Saturday, effectively ended the game when he capped that run with his second goal off a slick pass from captain Blake Wheeler.
More: Lady Antebellum stumbles over lyrics before Game 5 against Winnipeg
“It’s tough because you don’t hate your game there at that point, either,” Predators forward Austin Watson said. “All of a sudden, you look up at the scoreboard and it’s 4-1.”
Nashville Predators center Ryan Johansen (92) shoots while Winnipeg Jets center Mark Scheifele (55) helps Winnipeg Jets goaltender Connor Hellebuyck (37) guard the goal during the first period of Game 5 of the second round NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at Bridgestone Arena, Saturday, May 5, 2018, in Nashville, Tenn. (Photo: Andrew Nelles / Tennessean.com)
The Predators have been in this situation before. They just won in Winnipeg, where they're the only team to do so in the past two-plus months.
That all sounds nice, but they have no choice but to do it.
“There’s no group that I’d rather be with to win one hockey game than this group," Predators coach Peter Laviolette said. "This group’s been built for a game like the one that’s coming up. I’ve got a tremendous amount of confidence. I believe in them. I know that they believe in each other.”
Reach Adam Vingan at avingan@tennessean.com and on Twitter @AdamVingan.
Frank Seravalli TSN Senior Hockey Reporter Follow|Archive
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Blake Wheeler said there was a moment in the first period, as the Predators were taking it to the Winnipeg Jets, that he sensed Kyle Connor might be coming alive.
He described it as a “quick dart,” a shake and bake near the blue line, then a dangle or two that turned into maybe Winnipeg’s only scoring chance of the period.
“That’s when I knew he was good,” Wheeler said. “For him to have that confidence in the offensive zone, to make a little move, make a little play, I knew he was coming.”
There was a certain element of risk to it. A turnover goes the other way, the Predators score, they can insert their will to trap and clog and ground the Jets.
Jets coach Paul Maurice loved it.
“We can’t be afraid to make mistakes,” Maurice said. “I think he kind of pushed through it on that play.”
Gone was any hint this was the same rookie who meekly tiptoed through the first four games of this Western Conference semifinal.
The Winnipeg Jets got their 31-goal scorer back from the side of the milk carton.
His timing was impeccable. Connor woke up the rest of Winnipeg, leading a furious four-goal charge that left the defending Stanley Cup finalists shellshocked and on the brink of elimination.
Connor scored the first two goals of his Stanley Cup playoff career and assisted on Mark Scheifele’s third period dagger with a silky-smooth take to drive the Jets to a convincing, 6-2 triumph in Game 5 on Saturday night.
It will be mayhem in Manitoba on Monday night as the Jets can advance to the Western Conference final with a win at Bell MTS Place in Game 6. No Winnipeg-based NHL team has ever made it past the second round.
“I’m probably not going to do much grocery shopping,” said Wheeler. It would be a Beatles-like mob scene at Safeway or Sobeys.
The Nashville Predators will need to beat the Jets for a second straight game in Winnipeg to keep their Stanley Cup dreams alive.
“Well, we had to go to Winnipeg anyway,” Predators coach Peter Laviolette said. “The plane’s already booked and we were ready to go. There’s no group that I’d rather be with to win one hockey game than this group.”
The problem is Nashville needs to win two now before the Jets win one.
The funny thing is that when this season started, many expected another Connor (McDavid) to have a different Canadian team in this exact position.
Turns out, two Connors - Kyle Connor and Connor Hellebuyck - are better than one.
“It’s a big game for us, kind of setting us up good here,” Connor said of the biggest night of his young career. “But we’re just trying to stay in the moment.”
Some would have said Connor’s moment was only a matter of time. During the regular season, Patrik Laine (44 goals), Connor (31) and Ehlers (29) combined for nearly 40 per cent of the Jets’ total offence.
Entering Game 5, that trio - with Laine’s three goals and donuts for both Connor and Ehlers - had accounted for just nine per cent of the playoff scoring.
Connor registered eight shots on goal in the first four games against Nashville but rarely seemed dangerous. He picked a heck of a time for his confidence to mushroom, a pivotal and potentially season-deciding game.
“He’s a young player used to putting the puck in the net and when it doesn’t happen right away, especially in your first taste of playoff action, it can be difficult to stick with it,” Wheeler said. “His confidence hasn’t wavered a bit.”
Like, not even a little bit?
“I don’t lose sleep, no,” Connor said. “That’s not the bottom line, the bottom line is team success, winning.”
Instead, Wheeler helped coach Laine, Connor and Ehlers through it.
“We’ve been telling our young guys that we don’t need one guy to be the hero every night,” Wheeler said. “We don’t need these guys to score the game-winning goal every night. If you’re going to have success at this time of the year, everyone is going to have their turn in the spotlight. It’s just a rotation. Tonight was Kyle Connor’s turn.”
What made Game 5 such a convincing win wasn’t necessarily the score, but the fact that the Jets never strayed from their identity. There was a moment in the first intermission when you wondered whether they might have to change it up, losing four straight periods to the Preds.
They kept true to themselves. Hellebuyck said “we believe in the way we’re playing.” Wheeler called it an “unwavering confidence.”
Maurice’s pride was beaming behind his stone-cold coach’s mask.
“All you want is your team to play with the identity that we believe it has,” Maurice said. “This is what we look like. You’re going to do that some nights and you’re going to lose. But you want it to look that way, because if you do that, you never lose confidence even after a loss.”
That identity, the one responsible for their second four-goal second period of the series, has pushed the Predators to the edge.
All that’s left now is for Ehlers to push them over.
Contact Frank Seravalli on Twitter: @frank_seravalli
