Fiddler snaps tie, lifts Predators over Blues
ST. LOUIS -- Vernon Fiddler's goal with 5:05 left in the third period broke a tie and gave the Nashville Predators a 4-3 win Wednesday night over the St. Louis Blues in the first game of the second round of the Western Conference playoffs.
Fiddler, playing his first game in the postseason this year, kept the eighth-seeded Predators undefeated in the playoffs. Game 2 of the series will be Friday night in St. Louis.
Fiddler scored when he was able to direct the puck past goalie Jake Allen after Allen failed to poke it away following the Blues' botched attempt at a clearing pass.
Trailing 3-1 going into the third period, St. Louis rallied to tie the game on goals from Jaden Schwartz and Vladimir Sobotka. Schwartz cut the deficit to 3-2 at 6:48 when he converted a pass from Paul Stastny in front of the net.
Sobotka got the tying goal 2:34 later on a blast through the legs of Predators goalie Pekka Rinne, who had allowed only three goals total in the four-game sweep of the Chicago Blackhawks in the opening round.
The Predators built their 3-1 lead on a goal and two assists from defenseman P.K. Subban, the second three-point game of his playoff career. The other came in 2010, when he had three assists in a game as a rookie with the Montreal Canadiens.
Subban's second-period goal came just 36 seconds after an apparent serious injury to Predators left winger Kevin Fiala, who slid hard into the boards behind the Blues net after a check by St. Louis defenseman Robert Bortuzzo.
The 20-year-old Fiala had to be taken off the ice on a stretcher and was transported to a local hospital. The Predators said he was alert and in stable condition. No other information about the injury, which appeared to be to his left leg, was available.
The injury created a delay at 1:46 of the second period, with the Predators leading 1-0, and Subban quickly increased the lead to 2-0 when play resumed with his first goal of this year's playoffs and 12th of his career at 2:22 of the period.
Subban thought he scored in the first period while the Predators were on a power play. He was initially credited with the goal, which came with 14 seconds left on a penalty to David Perron for goalie interference. But a video review showed his shot was deflected by Colin Wilson, who had missed the series against the Blackhawks because of a lower-body injury.
The Blues cut the lead to 2-1 on Colton Parayko's goal at 8:04 of the second period, but the Predators responded with another power-play goal three minutes later to again give them a two-goal advantage. Filip Forsberg scored the third goal of the period off the rebound of a shot by Subban.
Rinne made 27 saves, while Allen stopped 28 shots.
NOTES: Wednesday night's game was the 360th postseason game in Blues' history, but their first against the Predators. ... In addition to LW Colin Wilson and LW Vernon Fiddler, LW Cody McLeod was inserted into the Predators' lineup. McLeod hadn't played in the first round against the Blackhawks. ... The Blues kept the same lineup they used in Game 5 against Minnesota, meaning healthy scratches were RW Dmitrij Jaskin, C Ivan Barbashev and LW Zach Sanford. ... Scratches for the Predators included RW Craig Smith, C Calle Jarnkrok, LW Harry Zolnierczyk and LW Pontus Aberg.