In the sixth game of the series, the Finnish guard of the Nashville Predators was stretched again in several important places. The Vancouver Canucks succeeded in the last moments of regular time.
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Juuse Saros represented Nashville Predators’ road ended in the first round of the hockey NHL playoffs.
The sixth game, which was played without a goal in the third period, was decided when the Canucks Pius Suter shot the puck past the Finnish keeper by Brock Boeser input. The decisive hit came when there was about a minute and a half left in the actual game time.
– I tried to play away the passing opportunities in the situation, and I couldn’t get through with my stick. After that I just tried to reach the situation on my mattress, but the margins are small, Saros told Sportsnet.
Before that, however, Saros stretched in front of the puck in several important moments. In total, Saros saved Nashville 28 times.
Nashville had its place in the match and even in the last minute of the third period it was looking for an equalizer with superiority and without a goalkeeper, the Canucks forward Elias Lindholm to be struck Gustav Nyquist with a transverse club.
The sixth meeting also saw the Finns’ NHL playoff debut, when the Predators’ forward Cole Smith was out of the lineup due to an upper body injury. Smith’s place in the match Juuso Pärssinenwho recorded a good 15 minutes of playing time in his debut.
With the end of Nashville’s season, Pärssinen and goalkeepers Saros and Kevin Lankinen are possible additions to Finland’s World Cup team. The World Cup in the Czech Republic starts on Friday next week.
Vancouver’s sensational keeper to a clean sheet
Vancouver goal Arturs Silovs was the absolute number one star of the match and, like Saros, collected 28 saves. At the same time, the Latvian goalkeeper became the youngest goalkeeper in Vancouver’s club history to play in the playoffs with a clean sheet. Silovs is 23 years and 42 days old.
In addition, Silovs is the 14th rookie goalkeeper in NHL 14 to keep a clean sheet in the deciding game of the series.
In the Western Conference, Vancouver will face the Edmonton Oilers in the second round of the playoffs, who secured their place in the second round on Thursday after defeating the Los Angeles Kings.
Vegas took the series to a seventh game
The Dallas Stars and Vegas Golden Knights are fighting for the remaining spot in the Western Conference. The sixth match between the teams ended with a 2–0 victory for Vegas.
In the middle of the third period of the match by Noah Hanif led the home team and the captain Mark Stone finished the final readings to an empty net.
The superiority between the teams will be decided in the seventh game late Sunday evening Finnish time. The winner of the pair of matches will face the Colorado Avalanche, who have already secured their place in the next round.
In the East, the match series of the second round has been confirmed as New York Rangers – Carolina Hurricanes. The Florida Panthers are waiting for an opponent in the series between the Boston Bruins and the Toronto Maple Leafs, where both teams have three wins. The teams will meet on the night between Saturday and Sunday Finnish time.
The story was updated at 7:55 a.m.: added the result of the Vegas–Dallas match
Story updated at 9:15 a.m.: added video of Juuse Saros’ saves
Nashville–Vancouver 0–1 (0–0, 0–0, 0–1)
N: Saros 28 saves
Wins 2–4
Vegas–Dallas 2–0 (0–0, 0–0, 2–0)
Wins 3–3
Continue with four wins
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