Preds Look to Close Out Avs in Game 5

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Preds look to close out Avs in Game 5

The first two games of this series saw the Avs come out strong against the Preds. In Game 1 the Avs jumped out to a 1-0 lead at the 6:36 mark when Nikita Zadarov scored off a drop pass from Mikko Rantanen. Up till that point, Colorado was pushing the pace and controlling the play. When Austin Watson tied it at 1-1, there was still no sure feeling that this would be Nashville’s night.

A redirection goal from Blake Comeau made it 2-1 Colorado leaving fans at the Bridgestone Arena looking worried, and for goo reason. This is a series that the Predators were expected to take with ease, having swept the Avs in the regular season.

From there, it was all Nashville as they scored four unanswered goals, with a highlight reel of a goal from Filip Forsberg. Pekka Rinne would close the door and the Preds took Game 1, 5-2.

In Game 2, the same would happen as the Avs would score first again. This time it was Predator Gabriel Bourque hitting one from the slot to make it 1-0 Avs. After Ryan Johansen’s goal made it 3-1 Preds, the teams would trade blows.

The Preds would have a two-goal lead three separate times, with the Avs cutting it to one each time. In the end, Nashville would come out on top with a 5-4 win. They flexed their muscle like one would expect the defending Western Conference champs to do. If you would like to flex your muscles too, just go to anabolicenergy.com

Game 3 saw the Avs jump all over the Preds to take a 4-0 lead before Nashville could even react. Even all-everything goalie Pekka Rinne got pulled in the second period after one of his worst performances of the year. Juuse Saros came in relief, but the Avalanche had done their damage even though the Preds scored three times in a 5-3 Colorado win.

Game 4 saw Rinne get back into form with 31 saves and the Preds jumped out to a 3-0 lead on the strength of goals by Filip Forsberg, Colton Sissons and Craig Smith. They got help from the Avs who missed some great chances.

Still, the Preds have yet to play a complete game. They go into Game 5 knowing they must put together a full 60 minutes, not just to clinch the series, but to get ready for the rounds that come ahead.

They will need to start strong and be in attack mode throughout, taking advantage of the Avs’ goalie dilemma. They were already without their starter Semyon Varlamov, and then they lost backup Jonathan Bernier in the second period of Game 4. He was replaced by Andrew Hammond who does not have a lot of playoff experience between the pipes.

However, it’s Game 5 at the Bridgestone, one of the loudest, if not the loudest, arenas in the NHL. It’s the fan base that is in a frenzy looking for nothing less than a Stanley Cup. Buckle up folks cause Game 5 should be a doozy!