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
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
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.
