Category: 2019 NHL Stanley Cup

Nashville Predators at Dallas Stars
Game 6: Dallas Stars lead the series 3-2

Game Recap:
The first period starts out with Nashville’s Filip Forsberg getting a shot on goal early and had a great block save by Dallas goaltender Ben Bishop.  A few minutes later, Calle Jarnkrok breakout down the ice to try and score a early goal but Bishop takes the puck into the chest and getting a save to stop the clock for a faceoff in Dallas’ zone.  At the 5:47 mark, Nashville’s Austin Watson would score his first goal of the postseason, with P.K. Subban and Nick Bonino earning assists on the goal.  Dallas’ Jamie Benn would try to tie the contest, but the puck would bounce right off the crossbar.  After that, Nashville would spend time trying to keep the puck away from the Stars.  We get a whistle with 8:16 left in the period after a wrist shot by Jamie Benn, which would get a save from Predators goaltender Pekka Rinne.  WIth 6:42 left in the period, there would be a scrum in front of Dallas’ net after a hit from Nashville’s Brian Boyle, who is a little over a week removed from an appendectomy.  A majority of this period has seen the Nashville Predators get a lot of shots and scoring chances against the Stars.  At the 14:55 mark in the period, Nashville goes on the power play when Dallas’ Mats Zuccarello gets called for a tripping penalty.  Austin Watson would get called for with 2:07 left in the period for an illegal check to the head to send the Stars to their first power play of the game.  Dallas would spend the majority of the power play and the last last two minutes trying to get the puck past Pekka Rinne after several good looks.  Look for the Stars in the second period to attack the net and create as much havoc as possible for Rinne.  Going into the second period, Nashville needs to play a crisp game and get the puck past Bishop.

The second period of this contest would have a bit of rough action with good hits and lot of post whistle jabs, but there would not be any penalties called because of that action.  After great shots by the Predators, the Stars break out down the ice with Comeau getting his second goal of the playoffs to tie the game at the 5:20 mark in the period.  After that goal, Dallas nearly took the lead before a kickout save by Rinne.  At the 8:02 mark in the period, Blake Comeau gets called for a Delay of game penalty for shooting the puck over the glass, giving Nashville their second power play of the contest.  On the power play, Nashville is unable to take advantage as the Stars will clear the puck.  Thus far, the Predators are the only team to not register a goal in the postseason.  The Stars are all over Nashville, as they are not letting the Predators get anything going.  The only player getting anything done in this game to this point is Rocco Grimaldi.  Dallas Jason Dickinson would later be called for an elbowing penalty, Nashville’s third of the contest.  The second period was a rather sluggish one, and look for the third period to be full of action.

Going into the third, Dallas almost made it a 2-1 game but the puck would ring right off the crossbar and some Stars players thought that the puck would make it in the net but after a replay, the puck barely missed the net.  The action has gone fast in this period with a lot of whistles not being blown.  Action has been good with both teams getting good chances with a few odd-man rushes occurring as well.  Colton Sissons of the Predators would breakout down the ice, but would get stopped by Bishop.  In turn, Dallas would get a breakaway chance, but they would also miss another chance to make it a 2-1 Stars lead.  A clean period would be played until Dallas’ Blake Comeau would be called for tripping at the 18:03 mark, giving Nashville their fourth power play of the night.  The third period would come to an end with Nashville having 7 seconds left on the power play, going into overtime.

In overtime, the Stars would kill the power play and they would get a couple looks at the net.  Overtime play in the first five minutes would see both teams get good shots at the net but there would also be great physicality between the two clubs at each other’s end of the ice.  Much like the third period, there would be a lot action, without a lot of whistles being blown to halt play.  The Dallas Stars would win the game with 2:58 left in the contest when John Klingberg would score, sending the Stars to the second round.

Dallas now faces the St. Louis Blues in the Second Round of the Stanley Cup playoffs.

Nashville Predators Lines and Defencive Pairings

Filip Forsberg-Ryan Johansen-Viktor Arvidsson

Mikael Granlund-Kyle Turris-Rocco Grimaldi

Calle Jarnkrok-Colton Sissons-Craig Smith

Brian Boyle-Nick Bonino-Austin Watson

Roman Josi-Ryan Ellis

Mattias Ekholm-P.K. Subban

Dan Hamhuis-Dante Fabbro

Pekka Rinne

Juusa Saros

Injured:  Wayne Simmonds (lower body)

Scratched: Miikka Salomaki, Rem Pitlick, Zac Rinaldo, Cody McLeod, Matt Irwin, Yannick Weber, Frederick Gaudreau

Forsberg-Johansen-Arvidsson
Grimaldi-Turris-Granlund
Jarnkrok-Sissons-Smith
Boyle-Bonino-Watson
Josi-Ellis
Ekholm-Subban
Hamhuis-Fabbro
Rinne

— Adam Vingan (@AdamVingan) April 23, 2019

Dallas Stars Lines and Defensive Pairings

Jamie Benn-Tyler Seguin-Alexander Radulov

Jason Dickinson-Roope Hintz-Mats Zuccarello

Andrew Cogliano-Radek Faksa-Blake Comeau

Justin Dowling-Jason Spezza-Valeri Nichushkin

Esa Lindell-John Klingberg

Miro Heiskanen-Roman Polak

Jamie Oleksiak-Ben Lovejoy

Ben Bishop

Anton Khudobin

Injuries: Stephen Johns (upper body), Marc Methot (lower body), Martin Hanzal (back), Brett Ritchie (hand), Mattias Janmark (lower body)

Scratched: Julius Honka, Jason Spezza, Taylor Fedun, Landon Bow, Valeri Nichushkin

Stars in rushes before Game 6:

Benn-Seguin-Radulov
Dickinson-Hintz-Zuccarello
Cogliano-Faksa-Comeau
Dowling-Spezza-Pitlick

Lindell-Klingberg
Heiskanen-Polak
Oleksiak-Lovejoy

— Sean Shapiro (@seanshapiro) April 23, 2019

First Period:

Nashville Goal: Austin Watson (1) assisted by P.K. Subban (2) and Nick Bonino (3)  —  5:47

Dallas Penalty: Mats Zuccarello for Tripping  —  2 min minor  —  14:55

End of 1st – NSH – 1       DAL – 0

Shots              19                10

Faceoffs         10                09

Hits                 09                15

PP                   0/1                 0/1

Second Period:

Dallas Goal: Blake Comeau (2) assisted by Radek Faksa (1) —  5:20

Dallas Penalty: Blake Comeau for Delay of game  —  2 min penalty  —  8:02

Dallas Penalty: Jason Dickinson for Elbowing  —  2 min penalty  —  15:32

End of 2nd – NSH – 1       DAL – 1

Shots              32                23

Faceoffs         25                23

Hits                 22                23

PP                   0/3                 0/1

Third Period:

Dallas Penalty: Blake Comeau for Tripping  —  2 min minor  —  18:07

End of 3rd– NSH – 1       DAL – 1

Shots              40                37

Faceoffs         35                28

Hits               32                  31

PP                   0/4*              0/1

*7 seconds remain in PP

1st OT Period:

Dallas Goal: John Klingberg (1) assisted by Alexander Raduolv (2) and Tyler Seguin (4)   —  17:02

End of OT– NSH – 1       DAL – 2

Shots              48                51

Faceoffs         45                33

Hits                37                 41

PP                   0/4              0/1

For TXHT’s extensive 2019 Stanley Cup playoff coverage, you can click here to check out game recaps and series previews.