Predators defenseman Ryan Ellis gave goaltender Pekka Rinne a hand in the crease with a key save inside the final minute of the second period, then he broke open a scoreless game with a power-play goal as Nashville defeated the St Louis Blues 2-1 on Tuesday.
James Neal scored the game-winning goal with 6 minutes, 57 seconds remaining to take a 3-1 lead in their Western Conference second-round series.
“That was by far the hardest game of the series,” Ellis said. “I thought they played well at both ends of the ice. I thought we played well too. It was deadlocked at zeroes for most of the game and we just got a couple of bounces.”
Photo: AFP
Rinne outdueled St Louis’ Jake Allen with 32 saves as the Predators moved to within a victory from reaching the Western Conference final for the first time in franchise history.
“Obviously that’s something that would be amazing for this organization, too,” Rinne said. “Now we have a chance to really step on their throats, and we can control our destiny. You couldn’t ask for more.”
Joel Edmundson scored with 3 minutes, 49 seconds left as St Louis avoided the shutout.
Game 5 is to be played tomorrow in St Louis.
In New York, Mats Zuccarello had a goal and an assist to lead the Rangers over Ottawa 4-1, cutting their deficit to 2-1 in their Eastern Conference series.
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