A third-period comeback led by Canucks captain Quinn Hughes and forward Dakota Joshua propelled the Vancouver Canucks to their first playoff win since 2020.
This matchup between Vancouver and Nashville marks the second time these teams have met in the playoffs. Their first encounter in 2011 ended with the top-seeded Vancouver knocking out Nashville in six games in the second round.
Regular Season Matchup:
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The regular season matchup between these two teams in 2024 heavily favored the Canucks. Vancouver swept the series 3-0 against Nashville, outscoring Nashville 13-6. Vancouver’s Pettersson notched a hat-trick in Nashville on Dec. 19th to cap off their final matchup in the regular season.
The Predators had trouble keeping the puck out of their net in the last two meetings against Vancouver as they let up five goals in each game. Preds goaltender Juuse Saros started two of the three games against VAN but floundered as he combined for a .833 save % in those two starts.
Nashville came into game one with a lot of confidence as they ended their season with a record of 20-5-3 since Feb. 17th. Led by star Filip Forsberg, who led the Preds with 94 points, Nashville fixed their first-half problems and clinched the first wildcard spot in the Western Conference.
Demko Looking Sharp:
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The first period of game one was to be expected. After both teams missed out on the playoffs last season, nerves were high on display, and as a result, there were many turnovers and sloppy play from both sides.
One man who did come prepared was Canucks goaltender Thatcher Demko. After missing five weeks due to a knee injury, Demko didn’t miss a beat as he showcased his skills by making a cross-crease splits save on Anthony Beauvillier.
While Demko played great, his opposite in Saros played better as Nashville took a 2-1 lead heading into the third period with goals from Jason Zucker and Ryan O’Reilly. Feeding off of the home crowd, Vancouver took control in the third period and tied the game up from a Pius Suter deflection off a long-range shot from Hughes.
Canucks Take Control:
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It wouldn’t take long for the Vancouver fans to jump out of their seats again as 12 seconds later, a heavy forecheck from Elias Lindholm led to a Conor Garland pass to the slot, where Dakota Joshua sniped it home over the right shoulder of Juuse Saros.
The Predators fought hard to tie it as they outshot the Canucks 10-7 in the third, but stellar goaltending from Thatcher Demko and an empty net goal from Dakota Joshua sealed the deal for Vancouver as they took game one with a final score of 4-2. Demko also picked up his 4th career playoff win to go along with his 20-save performance.
In a post-game interview, Joshua commented on how electric the Vancouver crowd was: “The building was crazy. You think you know what to expect until you get out and then you don’t. The fans were behind us all night.”
Game 2 between these two will take place on April 23rd in Vancouver at 10 PM EST. Can Nashville bounce back and tie the series heading back to Smashville? Or will the Canucks back Nashville into a corner with a 2-0 series lead?
The schedule for this series is as follows:
*If necessary
Game 2: VAN vs NSH, 4/23, 10 PM EST
Game 3: VAN @ NSH, 4/26, 7:30 PM EST
Game 4: VAN @ NSH, 4/28, 5 PM EST
Game 5*: VAN vs NSH, 4/30, TBD
Game 6*: VAN @ NSH, 5/3, TBD
Game 7*: VAN vs NSH, 5/5, TBD
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About the author: Trevor Poetzinger is a senior at Western Michigan University studying journalism in hopes of becoming a sports journalist. Poetzinger is a big Chicago sports fan, with the Blackhawks and White Sox as his favorites. Poetzinger also loves talking about anything hockey and baseball-related, whether it’s the pros, semi-pros, or college.
