NHL playoff scores 2017: Predators in driver’s seat with Game 1 win

James Neal scored the overtime game-winner as the Nashville Predators beat the Anaheim Ducks, 3-2, in Game 1 of the Western Conference Final on Friday night. Nashville now holds a 1-0 lead in the series after the huge road victory at Honda Center.

Neal came through in the clutch with a one-timer from the right circle that deflected off Corey Perry and slipped past John Gibson for the win. It came after a thrilling back-and-forth game that hinted at what should be a fantastic seven-game battle between two great teams.

Jakob Silfverberg opened scoring early in the first period with his eighth goal of the postseason. The winger has been fantastic since the start of the first round, and he’s now tied with Ryan Getzlaf for the team lead in playoff goals.

The Predators then hammered away to take a 2-1 lead midway through the second period behind goals from Filip Forsberg and Austin Watson. Their bottom six looked quite good in Game 1, and that even goes for oft-maligned winger Cody McLeod. He only played 7:55, but the Predators had a 9-2 shot advantage with him on the ice.

Trouble seemed to be looming for the Ducks until 13 minutes into the third period, when defenseman Hampus Lindholm sniped a shot past Pekka Rinne to tie the game. The first goal of the playoffs for Lindholm came at the perfect time, getting the crowd back into a game that almost got out of hand when the Predators were handed a 5-on-3 power play for over 90 seconds in the third frame.

Overtime went for over 10 minutes before Neal scored his fourth goal of the playoffs to give Nashville the win. The Predators had been putting on the pressure in the extra period with a 6-2 shot advantage before Neal’s seventh attempt did the trick.

Rinne was also fantastic for the Predators with 27 saves on 29 shots. He’s been the best goaltender in the playoffs so far, and this game gave no indications that he’s cooling off. If Rinne keeps playing like this, the Ducks are going to have to up their game to win this series after getting outshot, 46-29. The Predators will be pretty much unbeatable as long as they can tilt the ice like that while Rinne is at the top of his game.

Predators 3, Ducks 2 (OT)

Jakob Silfverberg is a playoff performer

The Ducks could potentially lose Silfverberg to the Vegas Golden Knights in the expansion draft this summer. If it happens, they’ll lose one of the most productive wingers in the Stanley Cup Playoffs over the past three years.

Silfverberg scored again in Game 1 against the Predators, which gives him 35 points over his past 35 playoff games dating back to 2015. It’s an impressive run that has the 26-year-old scoring at a clip significantly higher than his regular season rate, even though it’s nearly a half-season worth of games.

It’ll be interesting to see whether Silfverberg’s playoff performance makes it harder for the Ducks to leave him unprotected in the expansion draft. He’s got a $3.75 million cap hit for two more seasons, so he’s paid at a reasonable clip, but there’s a good chance the Ducks will want to protect four defensemen. If that happens, Silverberg could be the odd man out with Perry, Getzlaf, Ryan Kesler, and Rickard Rakell looking like locks for protection.

Pekka Rinne remains still in the zone

The Ducks scored a goal on their first shot of Game 1, then beat Rinne just one more time the rest of the night. Anaheim peppered 29 shots on the Predators goalie in total, and he stopped them all but two of them to earn his ninth win of the playoffs.

It’s been an incredible run for Rinne, who leads the postseason in save percentage (.950) and goals allowed average (1.45). He hasn’t been consistent during the regular season, with save percentages ranging from .902 to .923 over the past four years, but the 34-year-old is showing his best is still good enough to dominate.

As noted above, the Predators are winning the shot battle against the Ducks so far. If they’re getting great goaltending from Rinne, too, it’s going to be challenging for any team to beat them four times in a seven-game series.

Ducks’ bottom six needs to be better

Anaheim can go punch-for-punch with Nashville’s best players when guys like Getzlaf, Perry, and Lindholm are out there. But when it came to the matchups lower in the lineup, Nashville with the clear victor in Game 1.

Bottom-six forward Watson scored one of the Predators’ three goals, and several of their other depth forwards had strong possession numbers, including McLeod. On the flip side, the Ducks had Chris Wagner at minus-8, Jared Boll at minus-6, and Shea Theodore at minus-9 in 5-on-5 Corsi during the game (via Natural Stat Trick).

The Ducks’ success won’t hinge entirely on these guys, but this series is going to be close in many areas. From their perspective, it’ll be important for the bottom-six forwards to at least hold their own because there will be games like Friday where Getzlaf and Perry get held off the scoreboard.

Not exactly the result you’re looking for when you block a shot there, Mr. Perry.

If the Predators keep winning and Rinne keeps playing like he has, it’ll be difficult for voters to give the award to anyone else. He’s been the best player on a great team during this run.