Matt Duchene scored on a breakaway at 14:54 of the second overtime as the host Nashville Predators defeated the top-seeded Carolina Hurricanes 5-4 in Game 3 of their Central Division playoff series Friday night.
Filip Forsberg and Ryan Ellis each had a goal and an assist, and Mikael Granlund and Ryan Johansen also scored for the Predators, who pulled within 2-1 in the best-of-7 series. Goaltender Juuse Saros made 52 saves.
Sebastian Aho, Jordan Staal, Vincent Trocheck and Brett Pesce scored for the Hurricanes, who won the first two games at home. Rookie goalie Alex Nedeljkovic stopped 49 of 54 shots.
The winner came after Nashville’s Roman Josi flipped the puck high in the air from his own goal line. The puck bounced at Carolina’s blue line, and Duchene was able to tip it away from defenseman Jake Bean and beat Nedeljkovic high to the glove side.
Nashville led 2-1 after the first period, and the score was tied 3-3 heading into the third in a back-and-forth game in which neither team led by more than a goal.
Johansen gave the Predators a 4-3 lead at 5:01 of the third after he won a faceoff in the Hurricanes’ end of the ice. Forsberg tapped the puck back to Ellis at the right point as Johansen headed for the net. Ellis’ shot appeared to be going just wide of the right post, but Johansen tipped it over Nedeljkovic’s left shoulder and into the top of the net.
The Hurricanes tied it at 16:39 on Pesce’s shot from the point that snuck between Saros’ pads.
Ellis opened the scoring at 4:35 of the first, and Aho tied it at 15:44, his shot deflecting off Josi and into the net. Forsberg gave Nashville a 2-1 lead at 19:35 of the period on a breakaway.
The Hurricanes tied it at 3:31 of the second on a breakaway by Staal. Trocheck gave Carolina a 3-2 at 12:46 of the period on the power play.
Granlund tied it at 14:42 of the second with the Predators on a 5-on-3 power-play, poking a free puck over the goal line from a couple of inches out.
–Field Level Media