Preds outlast Blues to take 3-1 series lead
NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- In one of the most physical games of the Stanley Cup playoffs, the St. Louis Blues and Nashville Predators slugged it out in a manner more suited for Nissan Stadium than Bridgestone Arena.
Finally, granted a bit of room and space in the third period, Nashville broke the scoring seal. Ryan Ellis and James Neal tallied goals as the Predators bagged a 2-1 win on Tuesday night for a 3-1 series lead in their best-of-seven Western Conference semifinal.
Ellis pounced on the rebound of a Colin Wilson shot at 5:09 during a power play, slotting a wrister under Scottie Upshall and to the right of diving goalie Jake Allen for his fourth goal of the playoffs. It marked the seventh straight game in which Ellis scored, tying the franchise record set by Colin Wilson last spring.
Neal supplied the game-winner at 13:03, corralling a loose puck at the top of the right circle and firing a wrister that beat Allen to the stick side for his second goal of the playoffs.
Defenseman Joel Edmundson gave St. Louis hope with his third goal of the playoffs on a one-timer from the left circle at 16:11. The Blues pulled Allen with 2:43 remaining for a sixth attacker, but Pekka Rinne stood tall in the endgame, finishing with 32 saves.
Game 5 is Friday night at Scottrade Center in St. Louis, with Nashville a victory away from appearing in its first conference final.
Allen starred again for the Blues with 23 stops, many of them of the 10-bell variety. His best might have been a left toe save on Neal early in the third that kept the game scoreless.
St. Louis nearly tied it with the extra skater with just over a minute remaining, but Paul Stastny couldn't get his stick on a loose puck at the left post with an empty net in front of him.
NOTES: St. Louis made lineup changes, inserting LW Magnus Paajarvi and LW Zach Sanford while scratching C Ivan Barbashev and C Kyle Brodziak. ... Nashville recalled C Frederick Gaudreau along with D Alexandre Carrier, D Jack Dougherty, D Petter Granberg and D Trevor Murphy from AHL Milwaukee. All were scratched for the game. ... Other Blues scratches were RW Dmitrij Jaskin, D Luke Schmaltz, G Luke Opilka and RW Nail Yakupov. ... The Predators also scratched D Anthony Bitetto, RW PA Parenteau, RW Craig Smith (injury), D Brad Hunt, LW Pontus Aberg, LW Vernon Fiddler and G Marek Mazanec.