Roman Josi on Tuesday scored on a power play late in the third period to give the Nashville Predators a 2-1 victory over the Anaheim Ducks and a 2-1 lead in their Western Conference finals series.
Anaheim had led 1-0 through 40 minutes, but lost for the first time in the post-season when defending a lead in the third period.
The Predators were always able to remain in touch, with goalie Pekka Rinne making 19 saves for the win, and the Ducks’ John Gibson blocking 38 shots.
Josi scored on the first power-play tally of the series for Nashville, burying the rebound after Mattias Ekholm’s effort cannoned off Viktor Arvidsson.
The Predators had tied it at 1-1 with 16 minutes, 6 seconds left in the third after Filip Forsberg pounced on a rebound from a Ryan Ellis shot to thread the puck through a crowded crease for the score.
Nashville also had two more goal shots waved off in one eight-second spell, both denied by goaltender interference.
“You could sense going into that third period the guys were saying the right things. They were confident,” Predators head coach Peter Laviolette said afterward. “I think they believed that they were playing a decent game, and if we just stayed with it that we would eventually get one to drop and then see where it goes from there.”
However, Laviolette admitted that he had wondered if the Ducks would be able to defend their lead after watching Gibson’s display in goal.
“You think you’re playing a good game. It’s so tight. The scores at this time of the year generally are fairly low,” he said. “And you wonder if 1-0 is going to do it for the night.”
“So there was a lot of attempts. There was a lot of opportunities. Their goaltender played well and gave them a chance to hang in there and win a hockey game, but going out for the third, I think our guys stepped on the gas a little bit more and continued to push in the offensive zone,” he added.
Earlier, the Ducks opened the scoring on their first power play to take a 1-0 lead through Corey Perry with 4 minutes, 25 seconds left in the second period.
Perry’s score came from just below the Nashville goal line, rifling a shot off Rinne’s skate and into the net.
Ducks coach Randy Carlyle paid tribute to Gibson’s shot-stopping work in goal.
“Gibby gave us a chance. He stood tall in the net and he gave us a chance. And that’s all you can really ask of your goaltender,” Carlyle said. “We just didn’t do a very good job in front of him as far as managing the puck and then managing the people that were inside.”
Manchester United on Tuesday confirmed Michael Carrick as interim manager until the end of the season, tasking him with leading the Red Devils back into the UEFA Champions League. “Having the responsibility to lead Manchester United is an honor,” said Carrick, 44, who won 12 major trophies in his 12-year playing career at United. The former midfielder previously had an unbeaten three-game stint as caretaker boss at Old Trafford in 2021. Carrick then took on his first permanent managerial role at second-tier Middlesbrough in October 2022 and was sacked in June last year after the club finished 10th in the
James Harden on Friday scored 31 points and came up big in overtime to help the Los Angeles Clippers erase a double-digit deficit on the way to a 121-117 NBA victory over the Toronto Raptors. Harden scored 16 points in the fourth quarter and overtime as the Clippers pushed their wining steak to five games despite the absence of star Kawhi Leonard with a sprained right ankle. The Clippers trailed by 11 entering the fourth quarter, but Harden drilled a pair of free-throws with 1:24 left in regulation to tie it and after misses from both teams, they went to
Dallas Mavericks rookie Cooper Flagg on Wednesday was ruled out for the second half of their 118-109 loss to the Denver Nuggets after the No. 1 pick sprained his left ankle in the first half. Flagg was called for a foul while defending against Peyton Watson and turned the ankle as he fell to the floor with 6 minutes, 1 second left in the second quarter. Flagg limped to the bench and continued to the locker room, but returned for the final 2 minutes, 35 seconds before the break. The 19-year-old did not come out for the second half before the announcement that
Yassine Bounou on Wednesday saved two penalties, while Youssef en-Nesyri netted the decisive spot-kick as hosts Morocco secured a 4-2 shoot-out victory over Nigeria following a 0-0 draw in a tense Africa Cup of Nations semi-final in Rabat. Morocco, seeking their first continental title in 50 years, are to face 2021 winners Senegal in Sunday’s decider in Rabat, while Nigeria take on Egypt in the third-place playoff tomorrow. The 120 minutes before the shoot-out had few clear-cut chances for either side, but it was Morocco who created more opportunities, although they were denied by some fine saves from Nigeria goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali. Nigeria
RSS