The Vancouver Canucks take a 2-1 series lead on the Nashville Predators after another physical battle.
The two teams swapped blocked shot stats between games two and three, the Canucks had 30 blocked shots in game three, compared to Nashville’s 11, but game two Nashville led that same category 30-8.
Head Coach Rick Tocchet liked his team’s work in the defensive zone and seeing his team have success on the power play, going 2-for-3 on the man advantage.
“The Boeser goal, that’s the big one, it gets us a two-goal lead. They [Predators] score and they’re making a push. I’m a big believer in that the percentages really [matter] when the pressure is on. That’s when you want your power plays to be the best,” Tocchet said.
Ian Cole, who had some big, blocked shots at the end of the game said he liked how the Canucks started the game and they had a bend but don’t break mentality. He also mentioned that Casey DeSmith had a strong start to help them set the tone for the game.
“Blocking shots is a non-negotiable part of this time of year. They’ve done a great job of that as the first two games went along and just the way this game went, that’s what we had to do, that’s the position we were in. They were pressing at the end, we were killing some penalties and it comes with the territory so we’re happy to do it. Whatever it takes to get a win and try to help Casey out as best we can,” Cole said.
DeSmith got his first playoff win, stopping 29 of the 30 shots he faced, and displaying some swift acrobatics while doing it.
Have a look at the sequence captured below.