Keys to Watch
It’s Now or Never
The Nashville Predators have their back up against the wall, again. During the first round, the Preds were down 3-2 against the Ducks and made their comeback to go on to win Game 6 and 7. Nashville has to do this once again, but against a tougher opponent in San Jose. The Sharks’ Game 5 performance was leaps and bounds better than Nashville. San Jose dominated in most facets of play. Nashville will need the crowd to give them a boost and push the series to a game seven.
Stopping the San Jose Offense
The San Jose Sharks are tied for first during the playoffs averaging 3.30 goals per game. San Jose has the ability to put up lots of goals in a flurry. Nashville’s number one priority tonight will be stopping the daunting offense of the Sharks. In this series, Nashville has allowed 3.00 goals per game and has continually struggled to stop the offensive presence of San Jose, except for the outstanding play of Pekka Rinne. The Predators will need to give Rinne as much help as possible to give themselves a chance for a game seven.
Forsberg Struggling to Finish
The one player that Nashville needs to begin producing, and immediately, is Filip Forsberg. In the last ten games, Forsberg has one point. Granted, everything in hockey is not whether you make it on the scoresheet, but Nashville needs him to begin producing. During the regular season, Forsberg was able to net 33 goals, yet in the post season, he only has two. It is imperative for Forsberg to get back in his scoring ways. If he does not, the Predators could be looking at an exit from the playoffs tonight.
The Nashville Predators will look for survival tonight in front of their hometown fans. Be sure to catch all of the action on CNBC or you can listen live on 102.5 The Game. Puck drops at 8:00 pm!
